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A Flora of the 


Economic Plants of California 

for Agricultural Students 

including the important crop plants, agricultural 
weeds, poisonous plants, honey plants, medicinal plants, 
chaparral shrubs, native timber trees, and the most 
common native plants of the spring flowering 

BY 

WILLIS LINN JEPSON 
Professor of Botany in the University of California 


ASSOCIATED STUDENTS STORE 
Berkeley, California 



(XK \<v\ 


Copyright, 1924 
By 

Willis Linn Jepson 


Issued March 26, 1924 


ASSOCIATED STUDENTS STORE 
University of California, Berkeley 
Publishers of Botanical Books 
by 

Dr. W. L. Jepson 

A Flora of the Economic Plants of California. $2.00. 

A Manual of the Flowering Plants of California. About 
1100 pages, with about 1000 drawings. A complete 
account of the native seed plants in one compact 
volume for field use. 

The Trees of California. 240 pages, 140 drawings, $3.50. 

A Flora of California. Royal octavo. Illustrated. Parts 
1 to 7 now ready. 


APR 21 ’24 


Printed at The Press of The Courier, Berkeley, California, U. S. A. 


©Cl A778085 


S\ A 



PREFACE 


It is the purpose of this flora to describe in a systematic way, for the 
use of the beginner, the more important economic plants of California 
in connection with the more important or well-known native plants. 
Every agricultural student should have some training ‘in systematic bot¬ 
any, combined with practise in the use of a flora. Material of the well- 
known native plants, which can usually be had in abundance, furnishes 
an excellent means for studying the distinctive structural features and 
special biology of the more important families. If the cultivated crop 
plants and other economic plants be studied at the same time, the familiar 
plants of both garden and field are thrown into an orderly sequence in 
the student’s mind, because shown in relation to their nearest relatives. 
No course in agricultural botany should be considered satisfactory that 
does not include a study of the relationships of the principal natural 
families of seed plants, their geographic distribution and the place of the 
economic plants amongst them. 

No attempt is made, in this bock, to describe all cultivated plants, any 
more than all native plants. The description of all the cultivated plants 
in California would require perhaps thirty volumes of the present size. 
This book, however, includes a number more than sufficient to exercise 
the student in the characters of the important natural families, and to 
develop for him the fascination of plant relationships. 

For assistance in putting the manuscript through the press the author 
is indebted to Joyce M. Saunders, botanical artist, and A. C. Carlson, 
Associate in Botany, University of California, and to his students and 
research assistants, Elsie M. Zeile and Herbert L. Mason. Other 
acknowledgements are indicated at appropriate places in the text. 

Willis Linn Jepson. 

Berkeley, California, 

Dec. 12, 1923. 


THE DEVELOPMENT OF IDEAS IN CLASSIFICATION 

While the Chaldeans and Egyptians cultivated science, and gave some 
attention to plants, the more important of ancient written records re¬ 
garding botany begin with the Greeks. The earliest study of plants was 
of course economic; plants were looked to for their uses. Practically all 
the essentials of Grecian knowledge is summarized in the Enquiry into 
Plants by Theophrastus, who was the pupil of Plato and fellow-pupil of 
Aristotle. Theophrastus described not only the plants of Greece, but 
from trained scientific observers who accompanied the military expedi¬ 
tions of Alexander the Great to the Orient, he obtained accounts of such 
plants as the Banyan, Myrrh, Cotton Plant and Frankincense. 

Plants were classified by the Greeks into Herbs, Shrubs and Trees, a 
crude arrangement but one which was to last a long time. Theophrastus 
discussed at length and in a highly interesting manner the flowers of 




4 


HISTORY OF CLASSIFICATION 


various plants but he had no conception of the real structure of the 
flower, nor, though he speaks of “male” and “female/’ did he appre¬ 
hend sexual significance in plants. That the flower necessarily goes be¬ 
fore the seed, he did not understand, for he says of the female date palm 
that it exhibits its fruit without any antecedent flower, though he sees 
that the male tree has a flower. In other cases as in that of the fig he 
reasons that since the tree has fruit and seed, it must have flowers, albeit 
he admits never having seen them. He indicated clearly the difference 
between the germination of the seed of barley or w r heat and of beans and 
other leguminous plants, but he did not comprehend the extended clas- 
sificatory significance of this observation which foreshadows the division 
of monocotyledons and dicotyledons. While in few cases did Theophras¬ 
tus see the full significance of his determined facts, nevertheless for his 
day he made many profound observations: he named various gross 
organs; he distinguished between permanent and transient organs, be¬ 
tween centripetal and centrifugal inflorescences; he recognized aerial 
roots as roots and set them off from tendrils and pointed out that all 
underground so-called roots are not roots—a germ of the science of 
morphology which was to lead after two thousand years to great con¬ 
sequences. 

Theophrastus is often spoken of by the predatory intellectual with 
some emphasis as a philosopher rather than as a botanist, as if the terms 
were mutually exclusive, but I may be pardoned for pointing out that 
when a philosopher in this day wishes to know whether figs have flowers, 
he does not depend upon philosophic reasoning but sends a wire to me 
by Western Union Telegraph, collect. It is most interesting nevertheless 
to see that Theophrastus, two thousand years ago, knew so much that 
we know. 

In 77 to 78 A. D., Dioscorides wrote his Materia Medica, in which he 
described 400 medicinal plants. He is the most popular botanical author 
that ever lived, since no other botanical book ever had such a run: it 
passed through numberless editions and continued to be the most valu¬ 
able and most used guide to medicinal plants until the Seventeenth Cen¬ 
tury. 

The Sixteenth Century was the age of the herbalists, Brunfels, Fuchs, 
Bach, Turner and many others. These men went direct to the fields and 
woods to study plants and developed to a high degree, especially in Brun¬ 
fels’ Herbarium, the art of plant illustration. While in most cases the 
illustrations were made from studies of living plants, they stand along¬ 
side descriptions copied from the ancients because it was not yet under¬ 
stood how great was the difference in genera and species between the 
plants of western and northern Europe and the plants of Greece. One 
of the herbalists in particular, Valericus Cordus, does wholly otherwise 
than to copy and shows genius, for (as Tournefort says) he was the first 
of all men to excel in plant description. Fuchs’ Historia Stirpium is im¬ 
portant in that he abandons the alphabetical arrangement which had held 
since the Greeks. These herbalists had, however, little success at clas¬ 
sification, except to bring together certain plants of habital similarity. 

This practice of regarding the externals had also come down from the 


HISTORY OF CLASSIFICATION 


5 


ancients. Any shrub having a dark green narrow pointed leaf, thick and 
leathery, was referred by the Greeks to the genus Daphne of the Greeks, 
that is Laurus or Laurel, and included such plants as true Laurel, as 
Oleander, as Butcher’s Broom—all belonging to widely different natural 
families, but all called Laurel because of their shiny entire leaves, just 
as so-called to this day by illiterates, a few gardeners and some vain 
intellectuals. Many of the genera of the herbalists were, to be sure, 
natural, many more were not, because they were constantly misled by 
analogies, a source of error persisting to the present day. 

The first botanist to minimize mere external appearance, and so make 
a step in the right direction, was Caesalpino of Florence who was thus 
far ahead of his time. He distributed' all known plants into fifteen 
classes, the distinguishing marks being based on the fruit. This was the 
earliest methodical arrangement of plants but was extremely faulty, 
because based on a single organ. 

We now come to the Seventeenth Century. Of all botanists up to this 
period, John Ray, the Englishman, was the most enlightened and did 
most to advance the science of botany. In his system, which is the fore¬ 
runner of the natural system, he separates flowering plants from flower¬ 
less plants and divides flowering plants into Monocotlyedons and Dico¬ 
tyledons, though strangely enough, subordinating these to the old division 
into herbs and woody plants. r His orders show a keen appreciation of 
natural affinities amongst plants. 

Tournefort, the French botanist, flourished in this century, and is 
often spoken of as the founder of genera. His system which rested chiefly 
on the form of the corollas, was displaced in the next century, the Eigh¬ 
teenth, by that of Linnaeus which was founded on characters derived 
from the stamens and pistils, and especially the number of these organs, 
and is commonly called the sexual system. It furnished an extraordinarily 
facile and usable means of arranging plants, and together with the binary 
principle of nomenclature laid down by its author, gave a tremendous 
popular impulse to the study of botany. It was, however, a purely 
artificial arrangement, since plants of one family may vary greatly in 
stamen number and pistil number. The result was that closely allied 
plants were often separated in different classes and unrelated plants were 
brought together in one class. In so far as his classes are natural they 
are so because the number and position of the stamens have nothing to 
do with the sexual function, but they do by position and number indicate 
affinity. Linnaeus himself recognized that his system was a temporary 
expedient and declared the object of botanical science to be the discovery 
of a natural system. The most lasting contribution of the great Swedish 
botanist was the binomial method of naming plants, the binomial consist¬ 
ing of two parts, the genus name, as Brassica (Mustard), and the species 
name, nigra, black, Brassica nigra, the binomial thus not only affording 
a name for a plant but also indicating its relationship. Linnaeus was a 
very remarkable botanist and yet the gaps in his knowledge interest us 
exceedingly. He did not observe and did not even reason that figs had 
flowers and put them into his class Cryptogamia or flowerless plants. 

A new era in botanical science dawned with the publication in 1789 of 


6 


HISTORY OF CLASSIFICATION 


the Genera Plantarnm of Antoine Laurent de Jussieu, who is justly con¬ 
sidered the founder of the natural system. He gathered up the best re¬ 
sults of his predecessors, especially those of Ray, Linnaeus, and his uncle, 
Bernard de Jussieu, and conceived a system which truly displayed natural 
affinities. He made it clear that previous systems had broken down be¬ 
cause of relying exclusively on a single character. He chose the Ranun- 
culaceae, the Buttercup Family, to illustrate his principles. By no single 
mark can it be distinguished from all other families, but he showed that 
the combination of all its characters was sufficient to set it off as a natural 
family and that the test for inclusion of a doubtful genus within the family 
was consideration of the aggregate characters of that genus. He made a 
farther highly important deduction that the characters of a family must 
not always be drawn from the same organ. He fell, however, into the 
age-old error that the essential characters for primary groups can be 
determined in advance. 

The wearisome exponents of the higher criticism have objected to the 
honor accorded Laurent de Jussieu, saying that he had the system from 
his uncle, Bernard de Jussieu. This is of no especial importance. The 
work of no great man would be possible save for the arduous labors of 
those who precede him; one element of greatness lies in being able to 
gather up and organize scattered or unrelated results into living and 
forceful propositions of wide application. 

The stimulus given to the study of botanical classifications by the 
work of Jussieu produced wonderful activity in the century immediately 
following. The Nineteenth Century was a century of vast and un¬ 
paralleled labors in botany. Of all the great names in this century one 
of the most remarkable is that magnificent botanical genius, Augustin 
Pyramus de Candolle. He developed with clearness a comparative mor¬ 
phology which was of great value. It rested on his doctrine of the 
symmetry of plants, that is all organisms in their inner nature are reg¬ 
ular, and departures from the original symmetry of a class are due to 
abortion or disappearance of parts, degeneration or reduction of parts, 
and adherence. The morphological basis, therefore, lies in the relative 
position and number of the organs, not in their physiological properties. 
Guided by such a morphology he traced a long series of related forms 
and yet he did not seize upon the idea of affinity through descent. He 
discovered important rules but did not apprehend their real significance. 

DeCandolle projected a great work to include descriptions of all known 
species of flowering plants. The work is entitled Prodromus Systematis 
Regni Vegetabilis, a Forerunner to the System of the Vegetable King¬ 
dom. Prodromus literally means the northeast wind which blows for 
eight days before the rising of the dogstar. The work was intended as 
a forerunner of that natural system which would sometime appear in 
effulgent glory. He had the cooperation of the principal botanists of his 
day and the work was continued after his death by his very great son, 
Alphonse de Candolle. The first volume was published in 1824, the last 
in 1873. The Prodromus blew for fifty years but the dogstar has not 
yet risen. 

The DeCandollean system reached its fullest development in the Genera 


HISTORY OF CLASSIFICATION 


7 


of Plants. Genera Plantarum, of Bentham and Hooker which was issued 
from 1862 to 1883. George Bentham is undoubtedly in certain qualities 
of acuteness of intellect and in analytical power the premier of all plant 
systematists. Joseph Hooker was in range of his mind and wide and 
progressive grasp of problems the great botanical intellect of the Nine¬ 
teenth Century. Of all systematic works the Genera Plantarum is at 
once the most thorough, the most even, the most complete, bearing evi¬ 
dences of the most profound discernment, the soundest judgment, the 
most scholarly finish. It has had a vast influence on the progress of 
systematic botany, since no other work equals it in the excellence of 
its taxonomic judgments and in the precision which is given to families 
and genera. And yet in regard to it one must make a most extraordinary 
statement. Brought out at a time when the whole scientific world was 
stirred by the ferment of the evolutionary theory, it contains no hint of 
ideas of phylogeny or of progressive differentiation. 

This amazing fact can only be explained in one way. Bentham was 
much the elder of the two men and he undoubtedly dominated the work 
in this particular. The mold of his mind had been cast before the 
epochal period of Charles Darwin and he did not respond in this par¬ 
ticular to the thundering call of a new day. Joseph Hooker on the other 
hand, the younger man, was a pronounced evolutionist, the friend and 
confidant of Darwin, a man to whom Darwin unfolded his problems, his 
plans, his hundreds of detailed queries, for advice and assistance in re¬ 
gard to the plant world. 

The Genera Plantarum is therefore cold and inflexible; it is in its spirit 
rather a treatise on mathematics than a work dealing with the field of 
life. There is lacking in it the expression of all theories of phylogeny 
or heredity or variation. A century before, Bernard de Jussieu, in the 
Tardin des Plantes at Paris, worked out in his flower beds the beginnings 
of a natural system, but he refused to publish a theory concerning it. 
It may be that he was right, that his results developed farther, carried 
farther, as being freed from the chains of theory. It is possible that in 
the end Bentham and Hooker may be equally justified. 

I now return to the beginning of the Nineteenth Century to consider 
the work of four men, Robert Brown, Wilhelm Hofmeister, Stephen 
Endlicher and Charles Darwin, as furnishing the foundation for the 
great work of Engler and Prantl, Die Naturlichen Pflanzenfamilien, put 
forth within the last 30 years. Robert Brown discovered that the ovules 
of certain conifers were naked and established gymnospermy as one of 
the most remarkable facts in the plant world, especially as it led on to 
important researches by other botanists. The Gymnosperms were thus 
segregated from Dicotyledons and later established as a distinct coordi¬ 
nate class. Alexander yon Humboldt called Robert Brown easily the 
first of botanists. He distinguished in his monographs more clearly 
than had ever been done before between morphological characters of 
systematic value and physiological adaptations, but he promulgated no 
theory of classification and proposed no system, and yet he is considered 
one of the profoundest botanists. Hofmeister worked out the life-cycles 
and antithetic alternation of generations which occur in liverworts, 


8 


HISTORY OF CLASSIFICATION 


mosses, ferns and conifers and definitely determined two critical points 
as represented by a single cell in the life cycle of each, namely the spore 
and the fertilized egg-cell and showed the essential homology of the 
sporophytic stages and the sexual stages in all these groups. His results 
were truly of vast and far-reaching importance in systematic botany, 
because no one could doubt thereafter that there is a genetic affinity run¬ 
ning through these great divisions of plants. The main outline of the 
theory has since been successfully extended to the flowering plants. I 
should like to stress the point, however, that Hofmeister himself does not 
propose any such genetic theory but is content to state his results clearly, 
concisely and convincingly. He has been called the master genius of 
descriptive botany and there is no difference of opinion amongst any 
class of botanists as to the place accorded him in botanical history. S. 
L. Endlicher was the author of a Genera Plantarum in which the groups 
were described with great ability and clearness and fullness, the char¬ 
acters which bring families, genera and species into connection were set 
forth in such a way that this work was for reference of the greatest use 
to all subsequent investigators. For us in California the name of End¬ 
licher h&s an especial interest since it was he who first recognized the 
Redwood as a distinct generic type and erected for it the genus Sequoia. 

The middle years of the Nineteenth Centurv witnessed the high tide of 
development of the science of plant morphology and has been called the 
Heroic Age of Plant Morphology. The brilliant work in systematic 
botany and the fragments of the natural system as worked out came into 
the hands of and was used in important arguments by Charles Darwin, 
author of the “Origin of Species,” and produced that tremendous fer¬ 
ment in the biological sciences which is evidently destined to continue 
for so long a period. Morphology henceforth became the servant of 
phylogeny. 

The only general work which presents one entire view of the plant 
kingdom was projected by Adolf Engier and Karl Prantl under the title 
Die Naturlichen Pflanzenfamilien, the Natural Families of Plants. Begun 
in 1880 and finished in 1908 it is in every way colored by the doctrine of 
evolution. While arranged after a theory of phylogenetic sequence it 
has also the great merit of presenting not only the systematic char¬ 
acters of the families but their special physiology, histology, biology, 
embryology, geographic distribution and similar matters as well. The 
linear sequence begins with the Gymnosperms which, it is agreed, both 
by the morphological and geological evidence, are the oldest seed plants. 
Most probably they are derived from Pteridophytes independently, and 
are in themselves polyphyletic and not monophyletic. Monoctyledons, 
occurring at the end of the Bentham and Hooker series, are placed next 
by Engier and Prantl. At the beginning of the Dicotyledenous series 
they place the catkin-bearing families, the oaks and their allies, followed 
by the nettles, buckwheats, chenopods and other apetalous families. The 
dicotyledenous series ends with Compositae where it undoubtedly should 
be placed. 

The sequence of families, as represented in this little text, is in a way, 
in part, a reversion to the system of Bentham and Hooker, but with an 


TABLE OF NATURAL ORDERS 


9 


entirely different interpretation. Gymnosperms are without question, 
placed first as the most primitive of seed plants. DeCandolle, as Bentham 
and Hooker after him, set Ranunculaceae at the very beginning' of the 
plant series because they represented his ideal type. We place Ranun¬ 
culaceae at the beginning of the Dicotyledons because the parts of the 
flower in all circles (or spirals) are free and distinct, and this condition 
is regarded as the most primitive. The group of catkin-bearing families, 
represented by the oaks and their allies, and the apetalous families, such 
as the Polygonaceae and Chenopodiaceae, which Engler and Prantl 
placed near the beginning of the Dicotyledons, we have scattered through 
the choripetalous orders nearest their presumed allies. Compositae is 
placed at the end of the Dicotyledons because there is, in this family, the 
greatest amount of coherence and adnation in the flower. The prepon¬ 
derance of evidence at the present time indicates that Monocotyledons 
are less primitive than Dicotyledons and we place them at the end of the 
sequence, with the families, as appearing in Bentham and Hooker, al¬ 
most reversed, Orchidaceae being placed last, because there is here an 
epigynous flower of considerable complexity. 

Since this small flora involves by no means all the natural families, 
the brief tabulation given below is intended to do no more than arrange 
systematically the families represented in the following pages. It is 
however, an arrangement which indicates in a general way some of the 
tendencies in present day ideas regarding the systematic phylogeny of 
seed plants. 


GYMNOSPERMAE. —Cone-bearing Plants. 

Order Coniferales. 

Pinaceae.—Pine Family. 

Taxodiaceae.—Redwood Family. 

Cupressaceae.—Cypress Family. 

Taxaceae.—Yew Family. 

ANGIOSPERMAE. —Flowering Plants. 
DICOTYLEDONS. 

Leaves netted-veined; parts of the flower mostly in 4s or 5s; vascular 
bundles in a ring around central pith, the stem when perennial increasing 
in diameter by annual layers; embryo with 2 cotyledons. 

A. Choripetalae.—Corolla when present, usually composed of distinct 
petals. 

Order Ranales. 

Ranunculaceae.—Buttercup Family. 

• Calycanthaceae.—Sweet-Shrub Family. 

Berberidaceae.—Barberry Family. 

Lauraceae.—Laurel Family. 




10 


EVOLUTIONARY TREE 



Fig. 1. Evolutionary Tree. A scheme to indicate graphically the probable relation¬ 
ships and origin of the more important natural orders. 

























TABLE OF NATURAL ORDERS 


11 


Order Papaverales. 

Papaveraceae.—Poppy Family. 
Fumariaceae.—Fumitory Family. 
Cruciferae.—Mustard Family. 

Order Caryophyllales. 

Caryophyllaceae.—Pink Family. 
Amaranthaceae.—Amaranth Family. 
Chenopodiaceae.—Goosefoot Family. 
Nyctaginaceae.—Four-o’clock Family. 
Aizoaceae.—Carpet-weed Family. 
Portulacaceae.—Carpet-weed Family. 
Frankeniaceae.—Frankenia Family. 
Salicaceae.—Willow Family. 

Order Polygonales. 

Polygonaceae.—Buckwheat Family. 
Saururaceae.—Lizard-tail Family. 
Order Aristolochiales. 

Aristolochiaceae.—Birthwort Family. 
Order Urticales. 

Ulmaceae.—Elm Family. 

Urticaceae.—Nettle Family. 

Moraceae.—Mulberry Family. 
Cannabaceae.—Hemp Family. 

Order Geraniales. 

Zygophyllaceae.—Caltrops Family. 
Oxalidaceae.—Oxalis Family. 
Geraniaceae.—Geranium Family. 
Limnanthaceae.—Limnanthus Family. 
Polygalaceae.—Polygala Family. 
Euphorbiaceae.—Spurge Family. 
Anacardiaceae.—Sumac Family. 
Rutaceae.—Rue Family. 

Simarubaceae.—Quassia Family. 
Meliaceae.—Melia Family. 

Order Juglandales. 

Juglandaceae.—Walnut Family. 

Myricaceae.—Sweet-gale Fami ly. 

Order Fagales. 

Betulaceae.—Birch Family. 
Corylaceae.—Hazel Family. 

Fagaceae.—Oak Family. 

Order Sapindales. 

Sapindaceae.—Buckeye Family. 
Aceraceae.—Maple Family. 

Order Rhamnales. 

Vitaceae.—Vine Family. 

Rhamnaceae.—Buckthorn Family. 


12 


TABLE OF NATURAL ORDERS 


Order Malvales. 

Malvaceae.—Mallow Family. 

Order Violales. 

Hypericaceae.—St. John’s Wort Family. 

Cistaceae.—Rock-rose Family. 

Violaceae.—Violet Family. 

Loasaceae.—Loasa Family. 

Cuccurbitaceae.—Melon Family. 

Order Rosales. 

Crassulaceae.—Stone-crop Family. 

Saxifragaceae.—Saxifrage Family. 

Platanaceae.—Plane Family. 

Rosaceae.—Rose Family. 

Leguminosae.—Pea Family. 

Order Myrtales. 

Punicaceae.—Pomegranate Family. 

Myrtaceae.—Myrtle Family. 

Onagraceae.—Evening Primrose Family. 

Order Umbellales. 

Cornaceae.—Dogwood Family. 

Garryaceae.—Silk Tassle Family. 

Araliaceae.—Ginseng Family. 

Umbelliferae.—Parsley Family. 

B. Sympetalae. —Corolla of united petals. 

1. Pentacyclicae Hypogynae. —Flower hypogynous, with 5 circles, or i 
only one stamen circle, then the stamens opposite the corolla-lobes. 

Order Ericales. 

Ericaceae.—Heath Family. 

Order Primulales. 

Primulaceae.—Primrose Family. 

Plumbaginaceae.—Thrift Family. 

Order Ebenales. 

Ebenaceae.—Ebony Family. 

2. Tetracyclicae Hypogynae. —Flower hypogynous, with 4 circles 
stamens usually inserted on the corolla. 

Order Gentianales. 

Oleaceae.—Olive Family. 

Gentianaceae.—Gentian Family. 

Apocynaceae.—Dogbane Family. 

Asclepiadaceae.—Milkweed Family. 

Order Polemoniales. 

Convolvulaceae.—Morning Glory Family. 
Polemoniaceae.—Gilia Family. 

Hydrophyllaceae.—Phacelia Family. 


TABLE OF NATURAL ORDERS 


13 


Boraginaceae.—Borage Family. 

Labiatae.—Mint Family. 

Solanaceae.—Nightshade Family. 

Scrophulariaceae.—Figwort Family. 

Orobanchaceae.—Broom-rape Family. 

Order Plantaginales. 

Plantaginaceae.—Plantain Family. 

3. Tetracyclicae Epigynae. —Flowers with four circles epigynous. 
Order Rubiales. 

Rubiaceae.—Madder Family. 

Caprifoliaceae.—Honeysuckle Family. 

Dipsaceae.—Teasle Family. 

Order Campanulales. 

Compositae.—Sunflower Family. 

MONOCOTYLEDONS. 

Leaves with parallel veins; parts of the flower usually in 3s, never in 
4s or 5s; vascular bundles scattered irregularly through the pithy tissue, 
not in rings or annual lavers; embryo with one cotyledon; mostly herbs, 
when perennial chiefly with bulbs or rootstocks. 

Order Naiadales. 

Ali smaceae.—Water-Plantain Family. 

Order Pandanales. 

Typhaceae.—Cat-tail Family. 

Order Palmales. 

Palmaceae.—Palm Family. 

Order Liliales. 

Liliaceae.—Lily Family. 

Amaryllidaceae.—Amaryllis Family. 

Iridaceae.—Iris Family. 

Order Graminales. 

Juncaceae.—Rush Family. 

Cyperaceae.—Sedge Family. 

Gramineae.—Grass Family. 

Order Orchidales. 

Orchidaceae.—Orchid Family. 


THE LIFE HISTORY OF A FLOWERING PLANT IN THE 
LIGHT OF. ITS RACE HISTORY. 

We may begin the life cycle of a flowering plant with the seed which is 
a resting body. On germination of the seed, if the seedling, as in the 
case of the bean, shows two cotyledons, then the plant belongs to the 
class dicotyledon. If on germination only a single leaf first appears 
above ground, as in the onion or Indian corn, then the plant belongs to 
the class of monocotyledons. 



14 


LIFE HISTORY AND RACE HISTORY 


From its earliest stages the seedling has three primary organs, root, 
stem and leaf. It seems to be a rule that nature seldom makes a new 
organ when an existing organ can be modified to do the work in hand. 
Nearly all vegetative organs are, thus, considered to be modifications of 
these simple primary organs, root, stem and leaf. In the life history 
of plants we find development of a great variety of structures. In its 
adaptations to an endless combination of factors in its habitat the plant 
has variously modified its primary organs, root, stem, and leaf for varied 
purposes. The root is used for storage, as in the case of the Soap Plant 
(Chenopodium californicum) or the Man Root (Echinocystis fabacea). 
The stem, which is normally a - supporting structure for the display of 
foliage leaves, is variously modified. It becomes an underground struc¬ 
ture, such as a rootstock in the case of Scare-weed (Stachys bullata) 
or Telegraph-Plant (Pleterotheca grandiflora), structures by which the 
plant is enabled to retire below ground at unfavorable seasons and at the 
same time multiply in extent. Similarly we have runners, as in the case 
of the Beach Strawberry (Fragaria chilensis). which are stems modified 
for reproduction. Other stems are modified for purposes of storage as 
in the case of the corms of Blue Dick (Brod’aea capitata) and Grass 
Nut (Brodiaea laxa), or as in the case of the tubers of Potato (Solanum 
tuberosum). Sometimes, again, stems are replaced by thorns as' in 
Osage Orange (Madura pomifera) or tendrils, as in the species of 
Man-root (Echinocystis fabacea). These various modifications of a 
typical stem are to be determined as stem structure by observing that 
they have regular nodes and internodes, or bear buds, or bear leaves, or 
show unmistakably by their structural position that they are stems. 

The earliest foliage leaves borne on the stem of the seedling are almost 
universally simple, that is, with a single or undivided blade. A com¬ 
pound leaf is one in which the blade is divided up into tw r o or more 
parts or leaflets; it is regarded, within a given group, as being a develop¬ 
ment from the simple leaf. In the life history of those species that bear 
compound leaves, simple leaves at an early stage precede compound 
leaves, and it is held that simple leaves preceded compound leaves in the 
race history. When the leaflets are borne along the axis or prolonga¬ 
tion of the petiole, the leaf is called pinnate. When such divisions or 
leaflets are borne at the top of the petiole the leaf is called palmate. In 
some cases it is capable of demonstration that palmate leaves are an 
advance upon the pinnate type, being derived from the latter, as in the 
case of Potentilla, where in most species pinnate leaves are regarded as 
primitive and the palmate leaves of certain species as derived. 

Of the three primary organs the leaf is the more variously modified. 
The beginning student is likely to think of the leaf as solely a physiologi¬ 
cal mechanism, as an organ for photosynthesis, and use the term leaf 
when he means, not leaf, but foliage leaf. As highly important as is the 
foliage leaf to the existence of the plant it is after all, morphologically, 
only one kind of leaf. Leaves are modified for storage as in the Tiger 
Lily (Lilium pardalinum) or Checker Lily (Fritillaria lanceolata). They 
are modified in whole or in part for climbing, as tendrils in the case of 
Giant Vetch (Vicia gigantea). Sometimes again leaves are replaced by 


LIFE HISTORY AND RACE HISTORY 


15 


spines as in the Canon Gooseberry (Ribes californicum). In the forma¬ 
tion of the scales of the winter bud leaves also play an interesting part. 
Sometimes the scale of the winter bud is the equivalent of a leaf blade, as 
in the case of the Madrono (Arbutus menziesii) ; sometimes it is the 
equivalent of a dilated petiole, as in the California Buckeye (Aesculus 
californica) ; or yet again the scales are stipular, since they occur in pairs, 
as in the case of the California Hazel (Corylus rostrata var. californica). 

The morphology of an organ can only be determined by studying it 
carefully, by keeping in mind the following considerations: position, 
structure, shape, size and color. The first, position, is of very great im¬ 
portance ; structure is also of great importance, shape is of some im¬ 
portance, size of slight importance and color almost none at all. The 
untrained mind, it is interesting to note, takes the importance of these 
characters in reverse order. 

Root, stem, and leaf and their modifications constitute the vegetative 
organs of the plant and are always to be sharply differentiated from the 
sexual reproductive organs. The sexual reproductive organ is the flower. 
Typically it consists of four circles of organs borne upon a receptacle. 

1. A calyx consisting of a circle of units called sepals or calyx-lobes. 

2. A corolla consisting of a circle of units called petals or corolla 

lobes. 

3. An androecium consisting of a circle of units called stamens. 

4. A gynoecium consisting of a circle of units called carpels or simple 

pistils. 

The parts of a typical flower occur in regular circles or spirals with the 
parts or units alternating regularly, but in the course of evolution the 
units have been subject to multiplication or diminution or suppression. 
In general, in a given family, we regard the primitive type of flower as 
having both stamens and pistils. The loss or suppression of stamens 
and pistils results in unisexual flowers which we regard as derived. The 
Meadow Rue (Thalictrum) is unisexual in the family Ranunculaceae 
where perfect flowers are general and where the simplest forms in the 
family have perfect flowers. A calyx consisting of distinct sepals (chori- 
sepalous) is regarded as more primitive than one with united sepals (syn- 
sepalous), just as a corolla with distinct petals (choripetalous) is re¬ 
garded as more primitive than a flower with united petals (sympetalous). 

The carpel has often been likened to a leaf with its two margins united 
to form a cavity, the midrib corresponding to the dorsal side, the ovules 
borne along the united or ventral side on specialized tissue which is called 
a placenta. Such a pistil is called a simple pistil and is considered primi¬ 
tive. If a pistil is compound, that is composed of two or more units or 
simple carpels, it is considered an advance. Two or more carpels may 
be united in such a way as to make a single pistil but with 2 or more cells 
and the placentae diverging from the axis, or the carpels may be united 
by their margins so as to make a single pistil with only one cell and the 
placentae borne on the side walls. When two or more carpels are joined 
to form a single compound pistil the evidence of it is usually readily de¬ 
termined by the student observing the number of stigmas and styles. 
Sometimes, however, the styles and stigmas are so completely blended 


16 


LIFE HISTORY AND RACE HISTORY 


that correct determination of the number of carpels can only be had by 
studying the number of placentae. 

In the course of its phytogeny a flower may become complicated 
through the union of dissimilar parts. When the stamens are raised about 
the ovary and borne upon a calyx cup, such a condition, a perigynous 
flower, is regarded as an advance. Or, again, the ovary may become 
wholly inferior, with the petals and stamens as if borne on its summit and 
we have an epigynous flower which is regarded as a still further advance. 
Yet again, reduction in number of units in the circles, particularly in 
those of the androecium and gynoecium, results in a still further advance, 
culminating in such cases as that of the Sunflower Family, where the 
ovules are reduced to one and the flower conspires to produce a single 

The fruit is to be defined as the mature product of the ovule with all 
its appendages. On account of the diverse variety of parts which enter 
into the formation of fruits it is impracticable to give a scientific clas¬ 
sification of them on the basis of the terms used to designate them, but 
the more common types may be indicated. A follicle is the product of a 
simple pistil; it opens along the ventral suture. The true achene is de¬ 
rived from a follicle through reduction of the number of seeds to one, 
which obviates the necessity of the carpel splitting open; the carpel tissue 
is retained as a valuable protection to the seed. A legume is a special 
kind of follicle which splits along both sutures, the ventral and the dorsal. 
A capsule is the product of an ovary with two or more carpels which may 
split open in various ways. A capsule is, of course, an advance upon a 
follicle. If a capsule is derived from an inferior ovary it is a still further 
advance. If a capsular type of fruit is reduced to a 1-seeded structure 
and is inferior it is, to a still greater degree, derived and removed from 
the primitive state. All of these conditions may have their walls special¬ 
ized into hard or fleshy layers resulting in a great variety of stone fruits 
or fleshy fruits. 

We have thus come around to the seed again, completing the life cycle. 
The important observation just here is that every stage in the life cycle of 
the plant is in some way to be interpreted in the light of the evolutionary 
history of the ancestry of the group to which it belongs. 


ABBREVIATIONS. 


Am., America. 

Austr., Australia. 

Cal., California, 
cent., central. 

cm., centimeter.=about 5 lines. 

Co., County. 

cult., cultivated. 

dm., decimeter.=about 4 in. 

Eur., Europe. 

e., east, easterly, eastward. 


m. , meter.=about 3*4 ft. 
mm., millimeter.=l line, Vi 2 in. 
mt., mountain. 

nat., naturalized. 

n. , north, northerly, northward. 
Ore., Oregon. 

S. Cal., Southern California, 
trop. Am., tropical America, 
var., variety. 

w., west, westerly, westward. 



SYNOPSIS OF THE FAMILIES. 


L GYMNOSPERMAE. 

Ovules naked, not inclosed in an ovary; true flowers none, the stamens 
and ovules in catkin-like clusters; cone-bearing trees or shrubs, ours 
evergreen; leaves mostly needle-like or awl-like. 

Fruit a woody cone, containing several to many seeds. 

Cone-scales overlapping, with a bract at base on lower side; leaves 
needle-like or narrowly linear; seeds 2 to each scale, bear¬ 
ing a thin wing. Pinaceae, p. 26. 

Cone-scales without bracts. 

Leaves linear and 2-ranked in flat sprays, or awl-like and dis¬ 
posed all around the branehlet; cone-scales not over¬ 
lapping, with broad summits; seeds 2 to 9 to each scale, 

not winged. Taxodiaceae, p. 28. 

Leaves minute and scale-like, thickly clothing the branchlets; 

cone-scales overlapping, or not and with broad sum¬ 
mits; seeds 1 to several to each scale, winged or wind¬ 
less...CuPRESSACEAE, p. 29. 

Fruit berry-like or drupe-like, 1-seeded ; leaves linear, in flat sprays. 

Taxaceae, p. 30. 

II. ANGIOSPERMAE. 

Ovules enclosed in a sac or ovary, which becomes the fruit and en¬ 
closes the seed; cotyledons 1 or 2; plants with true flowers, typically 
with an abbreviated stem (receptacle) bearing regular whorls of floral 
envelopes and stamens and pistils. 

Class I.—DICOTYLEDONS 

Parts of the flower usually in 5s or 4s; leaves mostly netted-veined; 
vascular bundles in a ring around a central pith, the stem, when peren¬ 
nial, increasing in girth by annual layers; embryo with 2 cotyledons; 
tap-roots present in most cases. 

I. APETALOUS DIVISION. Corolla wanting; calyx her¬ 
baceous, often corolla-like, sometimes wanting. 

A. Flowers in catkins (dense scaly spikes) ; trees or shrubs. 

Leaves opposite ; flowers dioecious, 1 to 3 in each axil of the connate 

bracts. Garryaceae, p. 112. 

Leaves alternate. 

Leaves simple. 

Both kinds of flowers in catkins. 








18 


KEY TO THE FAMILIES 


Flowers 1 in the axil of each bract; calyx none. 

Fruit a 1-celled capsule with many downy seeds. 

Salicaceae, p. 53. 

Fruit a waxy-coated berry-like nut with 1 seed.. 

Myricaceae, p. 70. 

Flowers 2 or 3 in the axil of each bract; calyx present; 

fruit a very small seed-like nut... 

Betulaceae, p. 70. 

Staminate flowers in catkins, the pistillate solitary or clustered. 

Fruit a nut enclosed in a leafy tubular involucre... 

CORYLACEAE, p. 71. 

Fruit a nut set in a scaly cup or bur (acorn or chestnut). 

Fagaceae, p. 71. 

Leaves pinnately compound; fruit a nut. Juglandaceae, p. 69. 


B. Flowers not in catkins. 


1. Trees, shrubs or woody climbers. 


Leaves opposite. 

Trees; leaves pinnate. 

Stamens 4 or 5 ; fruit a double samara. Aceraceae, p. 74. 

Stamens commonly 2; fruit a simple samara. Oleaceae, p. 125. 

Woody climbers; stamens numerous; sepals 4, petal-like. 

Clematis, p 

.Leaves alternate and simple. 

Trees or shrubs. 

Flowers in ball-like clusters ; calyx none. Platanaceae, p 

Flowers not in ball-like clusters; calyx present. 

Stamens 4 to 9. 

Sap not milky. 

Fruit a samara. Ulmaceae, p. 60. 

Fruit not a samara. 


34. 


88. 


Fruit a berry ; stamens 4 or 5; anthers opening 

lengthwise. Rhamnaceae, p. 75. 

Fruit a drupe ;stamens 9; anthers opening by 

valves. Lauraceae, p. 35. 

Sap milky; fruit an aggregate fruit. Moraceae, p. 61. 

Stamens many to numerous. 

Fruit a tailed achene; ovary superior. ; . 

Cercocarpus, p. 92. 

Fruit a capsule; ovary inferior or partly inferior. 

Myrtaceae, p. 108. 

Woody climber; stamens 6, anthers sessile. Aristolochia, p. 60. 


2. Herbs; ovary superior (except Asarum and Aizoaceae). 
a. Calyx and corolla both wanting. 

Stamens and pistils in same flower; flowers in a spike, each flower sub¬ 
tended by a colored bract, the spike subtended by a conspicuous 
colored involucre. Saururaceae, p. 59. 




















KEY TO THE FAMILIES 


19 


Stamens and pistils in different flowers; flower-clusters often surrounded 

by a petal-like involucre so that they resemble a single flower. 

Euphorbiaceae, p. 65. 


b. Calyx present, green or often corolla-like; corolla wanting. 


Stipules present. 

Stipules sheathing, scarious; calyx 5 to 6-parted, or of distinct petals, 

often petal-like; stamens 4 to 9. Polygonaceae, p. 55. 

Stipules not sheathing; calyx greenish; stamens 1 to 4. 

Ovule pendulous; styles or stigmas 2.Cannabaceae, p. 62. 

Ovule erect; style and stigma 1. Urticaceae, p. 61. 

Stipules none. 

Pistils more than 1 and distinct. Ranunculaceae, p. 30. 

Pistil only 1. 

Fruit an achene or utricle; ovary 1-celled. 

Leaves opposite or whorled. 

Calyx of 6 or 5 distinct or nearly distinct petal-like 

sepals ; stamens 4 to 9. Polygonaceae, p. 55. 

Calyx tubular, its base forming a hardened covering to 

the achene; stamens 3 to 5... 

Nyctaginaceae, p. 50. 

Leaves alternate or opposite. 

Sepals herbaceous or, in unisexual flowers, the-pistil¬ 
late without calyx and enclosed by 2 bracts; 

bractlets none. Chenopodiaceae, p. 48. 

Sepals membranous or scarious; flowers with bractlets... 

Amaranthaceae, p. 47. 


Fruit a capsule. 

Ovary inferior. 

Leaves opposite or whorled; ovary 1 to 12-celled. 

Aizo'aceae, p. 51. 

Leaves basal, reniform or cordate; ovary 6-celled; 

calyx-lobes 3, caudate. Asarum, p. 60. 

Ovary superior, 3 or 1-celled. Euphorbiaceae, p. 65. 


II. CHORIPETALOUS DIVISION. Calyx and corolla pres¬ 
ent; petals distinct or nearly so, or merely connivent. 

A. Stamens hypogynous (on the receptacle below the superior ovary, or 
sometimes on the base of the petals). 


1. Stamens more than 10. 

Stamens monadelphous; pistils cohering in a ring around a central axis, 

or pistil 1 and more than 1-celled. Malvaceae, p. 78. 

Stamens distinct; all herbs or herb-like except one genus in Papaveraceae. 
Pistils more than 1 and distinct, becoming follicles or achenes, rarely 
a berry. Ranunculaceae, p. 30. 















20 


KEY TO THE FAMILIES 


Pistil 1. 

Pistil 1-celled, the styles or stigmas more than 1. 

Sepals caducous; petals 4 or 6, twice as many as the sepals...._ 

Papaveraceae, p. 36. 

Sepals persistent; petals 5. 

Sepals 2; styles 3; low annuals. Calandrinia, p. 51. 

Sepals 5. the 2 outer smaller and bract-like; style 1; 

perennials. Cistaceae, p. 80. 

Pistil more than 1-celled; petals 5. Hypericaceae, p. 80. 

2. Stamens 10 or less. 

a. Pistils 4 or 5 ; herbs. 

Pistils 5, more or less united around a central axis, elastically separating 
when ripe as 1-seeded carpels. 

Stipules scarious; carpels tailed by twisted styles. 

Geraniaceae, p. 63. 

Stipules none; carpels separating from a very short axis, not tailed. 

Limnanthaceae, p. 64. 

Pistils 4 or 5, distinct, becoming follicles. Crassulaceae, p. 84. 

b. Pistil 1, the styles or stigmas often more than 1; herbs, 
shrubs or trees. 

Corolla irregular. 

Petals 5. 

Stamens 10; petals butterfly-like; leaves commonly compound. 

Leguminosae, p. 95. 

Stamens 5; lower petal with a spur; leaves commonly simple. 

Violaceae, p. 80. 

Petals 4, in two dissimilar pairs; sepals 2; stamens 6, slightly united 

in two sets. Fumariaceae, p. 38. 

Corolla regular. 

Ovary 1-celled. 

Anthers opening by uplifted valves; petals 6; stamens 6; fruit a 

berry or capsule.'. Berberidaceae, p. 35. 

Anthers opening by longitudinal slits; herbs. 

Calyx synsepalous or of 5 distinct sepals. 

Leaves opposite; calyx tubular or of distinct sepals. 
Placenta central; stamens 5, alternate with the 
petals, or 10 (5 alternate, 5 opposite), 
rarely fewer; calyx tubular and 5-toothed, 
or of 5 distinct sepals; capsule 3 to 10- 
valved or -toothed, or the fruit 1-seeded 
and indehiscent.XARYOPHYLLACEAE, p. 44. 
Placentae parietal; stamens 4 to 7; calyx tubular, 

4 or 5-toothed; capsule 2 to 4-valved.. 

Frankeniaceae, p. 53. 














KEY TO THE FAMILIES 


21 


Leaves basal; calyx funnelform; stamens 5, opposite 

the petals; fruit an achene.. 

Plumbaginaceae, p. 124. 
Calyx of 2 distinct sepals; stamens commonly 5; capsule 

3-valved. Portulacaceae, p. 51. 

Ovary more than 1-celled. 

Anthers opening by pores at the summit; petals 5; ovary 5- 

celled.... Ericaceae, p. 120. 

Anthers opening by longitudinal slits. 

Herbs (ours). 

Leaves alternate or basal. 

Sepals and petals 4; stamens 4 long and 2 short; 

ovary 2-celled, rarely 1-celled. 

Cruciferae, p. 39. 

Sepals and petals 5; stamens 10 ; ovary 5-celled. 

OXALIDACEAE, p. 63. 

Leaves opposite; sepals and petals 5; stamens 10. 

Zygophyllaceae, p. 63. 
Shrubs; leaves opposite, pinnate; stamens and petals 2; 

pod winged... Oleaceae, p. 125. 

B. Stamens perigynous (on the calyx) or epigynous (“on the ovary”). 

1. Ovary superior (free from the calyx). 

Filaments distinct. 

Stamens 10 to numerous. 

Leaves alternate, simple or often compound; petals 5. 

Pistils few to many (sometimes only 1), always simple and 
distinct with one stigma; stipules present (except 

Holodiscus and Osmaronia) Rosaceae, p. 88. 

Pistil 1 with 3 styles or stigmas; stipules none. 

• Schinus, p. 67. 

Leaves opposite, simple; petals many; pistils many; stipules 

none; shrubs. Calycanthaceae, p. 34. 

Stamens less than 10; trees or shrubs. 

Stamens 4 or 5, as many as the petals. 

Stamens alternate with the petals. 

Styles or stigmas 3; fruit drupe-like... 

Anacardiaceae, p. 66. 

Style 1. 

Leaves punctate; fruit a berry (or hesperidium) or 

a dry fruit in the native species... 

Rutaceae, p. 68. 

Leaves not punctate; fruit a samara. 

SlMARUBACEAE, p. 69. 

Stamens opposite the petals. 

Shrubs; petals often hooded; ovary 3 or 2-celled. 

Rhamnaceae, p. 75. 
















22 


KEY TO THE FAMILIES 


Woody vines climbing by tendrils; ovary 2-celled. 

V ITACEAE, p. 74. 


Stamens 4 to 9. 

Leaves palmately compound; style 1; fruit a dehiscent pod. 

Sapindaceae, p. 74. 

Leaves simple; styles 2; fruit a double samara.... 

Aceraceae. p. 74. 

Filaments united into a tube; petals 5 or 6; pistil 1 ; leaves compound. 

Meliaceae, p. 69. 


2. Ovary inferior (more or less adherent to the calyx). 

Petals 5 or more. 

Petals 5. 

Stamens as many as or more than the petals. 

Stamens more numerous than the petals. 

Fruit a pome ; trees or shrubs. Rosaceae, p. 88. 

Fruit a 1-celled capsule opening at the top; herbs. 

Loasaceae, p. 82. 

Stamens as many or twice as many as the petals (Whipplea 
has 8 to 12 stamens) ; ovary rarely free, 2 to 5- 

celled, becoming a capsule or berry..., 

Saxifragaceae, p. 85. 

Stamens as many as the petals and 

Opposite them; petals hooded; shrubs. ...Ceanothus, p. 76. 

Alternate with them; flowers in umbels or heads; herbs. 

.Styles 5; petals not indexed at tip; fruit berry-like; 

stems solid. Araliaceae, p. 112. 

Styles 2; petals indexed at tip; fruit splitting into 2 
one-seeded carpels; stems commonly hollow...., 
Umbelliferae, p. 113. 

Petals 5 to 7; stamens numerous; fruit many-celled, fleshy. 

Punicaceae, p^ 107. 

Petals 4. 

Stamens 4 ; flowers small, in cymes, or if in a head, surrounded by 

conspicuous petal-like bracts ; trees or shrubs.;__ 

CORNACEAE, p. 111. 

Stamens 8, rarely 4; flowers mostly showy, in spikes or racemes or 
solitary ; herbs. Onagraceae, p. 108. 

III. SYMPETALOUS DIVISION. Calyx and corolla both 
present; corolla with the petals united into a cup or tube, at least 
at base. 

A. Ovary superior (free from the calyx). 

1. Corolla regular. 
a. Anthers opening by a hole at the top. 

Stamens free from the corolla; ovary 3 to 10-celled......ERiCACEAE, p. 120. 

Stamens inserted on the corolla; ovary 2-celled. Solanum, p. 140. 
















KEY TO THE FAMILIES 


23 


b. Anthers opening by a longitudinal slit. 

Stamens 10 to many. 

Pistil one. 

Stamens many, monadelphous; fruit a capsule or the carpels 


separating at maturity. Malvaceae, p. 78. 

Stamens 8 to 16, distinct; fruit a berry. Ebenaceae, p. 124. 

Pistils 4 or 5, distinct; stamens 10... Crassulaceae, p. 84. 

Stamens 5 or fewer, inserted on the corolla. 

Pistil 1. 


Stamens as many as the lobes of the corolla and opposite them 

(Trientalis has sometimes 6 or 7 stamens). 

Primulaceae, p. 123. 

Stamens as many as or fewer than the lobes of the corolla and 
alternate with them. 

Corolla colored, not dry-scarious; fruit not opening by a lid. 
Ovary 1, 2, or 3-celled. 

Corolla 5-lobed; stamens 5. 

Style not 3-cleft; ovary 1 or 2-celled. 

Styles 2, more or less distinct; ovary 1 or 
2-celled...HYDR0PHYLLACEAE, p. 131. 
Style 1 or none; ovary 2-celled; leaves 
alternate. 

Calyx of 5 distinct or nearly distinct 
sepals; twining or trailing 

plants. 

CONVOLVULACEAE, p. 127. 
Calyx 5-toothed or -cleft; mostly erect 

plants. Solanaceae, p. 139. 

Style 3-cleft; ovary 3-celled, the flower other¬ 
wise with the parts in 5s. 

POLEMONIACEAE, p. 128. 
Corolla 4-lobed; leaves opposite, simple. 

Ovary 1 -celled; fruit a capsule; leaves opposite, 
simple, sessile.-GENTiANACEAE, p. 125. 

Ovary 2-celled; fruit a drupe; leaves petioled. 

Oleaceae, p. 125. 

Ovary 4-celled, commonly 4-lobed, splitting when ripe 
into as many nutlets; stamens 5; style 1; 

flowers in coiled spikes or racemes. 

Boraginaceae, p. 133. 
Corolla dry-scarious; capsule opening by a lid; ovary 2 or 

4-celled; stamens 2 to 4; style 1.. 

Plantaginaceae, p. 149. 
Pistils 2, (the ovaries distinct but the styles or stigmas united); 
herbs with milky juice. 

Stamens and stigmas united, the columns bearing liood-like 
appendages. ....Asclepiadaceae, p. 126. 

Stamens and stigmas not united; no hoods... Apocynaceae, p. 126. 













24 


KEY TO THE FAMILIES 


2. Corolla irregular. 

Stamens 10; corolla papillionaceous, that is pea-like; ovary 1-celled; style 

1, entire; leaves commonly compound. Leguminosae'; p. 95. 

Stamens less than 10. 

Corolla not 2-lipped. 

Sepals 2; petals 4, in dissimilar pairs; stamens 6. 

Fumariaceae; p. 38. 

Sepals 5, unequal; petals 3; stamens 8.Polygalaceae, p. 65. 

Corolla strongly 2-lipped or often only slightly irregular; sta¬ 
mens 4 or 2. 

Fruit a capsule; style 1 : stigma 2-lobed, rarely entire. 

Ovary and capsule 2-celled; green plants.... 

SCROPHULARIACEAE, p. 142. 

Ovary and capsule 1-celled; parasites... 

Orobanchaceae, p. 149. 
Fruit splitting into 4 nutlets; style 1. cleft at apex; stems square; 

herbage with the odor of mint. Labiatae, p. 135. 

B. Ovary inferior (adherent to the calyx). 

Stamens distinct, 4 or 5, rarely 2. 

Ovary 1-celled; flowers in involucrate heads or -short spikes; herbs... 

Dipsaceae, p. 153. 

Ovary more than 1-celled. 

Ovary 2-celled; flowers regular; herbs or shrubs. 

Rubiaceae, p. 150. 

Ovary 2 to 5-celled; flowers regular or irregular; erect or 

twining shrubs. Caprifoliaceae, p. 151. 

Stamens united into a tube around the style. 

Flowers not in heads. 

Stamens 3 ; leaves palmately lobed; tendril-bearing herbs. 

CUCURBITACEAE, p. 82. 

Stamens 5; leaves narrow; annuals. Lobeliaceae, p. 153. 

Flowers collected into a head and furnished with a calyx-like in¬ 
volucre, the whole resembling a single flower; stamens 5. 

Compositae, p. 154. 


Class II.—MONOCOTYLEDONS 


Parts of the flower usually in 3s; leaves parallel-veined (except Tril¬ 
lium) ; ours chiefly herbs, when perennial mostly with bulbs or rootstocks. 


A. Perianth none or calyx-like with scale-like divisions. 

Flowers not in the axils of dry chaffy bracts. 

Reed-like plants; inflorescence a dense cylindrical spike. 

Typiiaceae, p. 172. 

Trees; flowers on a spadix or fleshy spike. Palmaceae, p. 172. 















KEY TO THE FAMILIES 


25 


Flowers in the axils of dry chaffy bracts, arranged in spikes or spikelets. 
Stems mostly terete, hollow; leaves in 2 rows; sheaths mostly split 

opposite the blade. Gramineae, p. 186. 

Stems mostly triangular, solid; leaves in 3 rows; sheaths entire. 

Cyperaceae, p. 184. 

B. Perianth present, in 2 series, often corolla-like. 

Ovaries several, distinct, becoming achenes; perianth of 3 sepals and 3 

petals... Alismaceae, p. 171. 

Ovary 1 and 
Superior. 

Perianth-segments green or brown, not petal-like; flowers small 

or minute; rush-like plants. Juncaceae, p. 182. 

Perianth-segments petal-like, at least the inner; flowers mostly 
showy; plants not rush-like. Liliaceae, p. 173. 

Inferior. 

Perianth regular. 

Stamens 6; leaves (in ours) fleshy, in a basal rosette. 

Amaryllidaceae, p. 181. 

Stamens 3; leaves 2-ranked, sword-like and sheathing. 

Iridaceae, p. 181. 

Perianth irregular; stamens 1, rarely 2...0rchidaceae, p. 206. 



Circle of cones of Monterey 
Pine (Pinus radiata Don). See 
p. 27. 













Division I. — GYMNOSPERMAE 


PINACEAE. PINE FAMILY 

Trees or shrubs, ours evergreen, with .resinous juice. Leaves needle- 
shaped, linear or awl-shaped. Stamens and pistils in separate flowers, 
the flowers in cone-like catkins, without calyx or corolla. Fruit a woody 
cone or sometimes berry-like.—Species about 120, confined to the northern 
hemisphere, where they are especially characteristic of northerly lati¬ 
tudes or subalpine habitats, thus, in general, favoring the more inhos¬ 
pitable regions of the earth. As timber trees they are for certain quali¬ 
ties not equaled by any other family. 

Cones pendent or spreading, falling from the tree whole, the scales persistent. 

Needle-leaves in fascicles; cones maturing second year; bracts minute. 

1. Pinus. 

Leaves linear; cones maturing first year; bracts obvious, often conspicuous. 

Bracts shorter than scales; leaf bases persistent as a peg.2. Picea. 


Bracts longer than scales ; leaf scars smooth.3. Pseudotsuga. 

Cones erect, maturing first year, scales falling separately.4. Abies. 


1. PINUS L. Pine 

Trees with the leaves needle-like and in clusters of 2 to 5, surrounded 
at base by scarious bud-scales. Cones maturing in the second year, the 
scales becoming woody and thickened, the bract remaining small and in¬ 
significant. Seeds 2 at the base of each scale. (Latin name of the pine.) 

Needles in 5s ; tips of the cone-scales not thickened, not armed with a prickle ; 


cones long-stalked. 

Needles 2.4 to 9 cm. long; cones 1.4 to 1.9 dm. long.1. P. monticola. 

Needles 4.8 to 8.4 cm. long; cones 3 to 4.3 dm. long.2. P. lambertiana. 


Needles not in 5s; tips of the cone-scale thickened and armed with a spine or 
prickle; cones sessile or sliort-stalked. 

Cones breaking through near the base, the lower scales persistent on the tree ; 
needles in 3s. 

Cone-scales developed at tip into long spreading talon-like claws or spurs. 
Cones long-ovate, 2.4 to 3 dm. long; needles erect, 1.2 to 3.3 dm. 

long; trunk persisting through crown as one main axis; 

foliage yellowish.3. P. couiteri. 

Cones round-oval, 1.4 to 2.4 dm. long: needles drooping, 1.6 to 3.2 
dm. long; trunk branching into several secondary axes; 

foliage gray.4. P. sabiniana. 

Cone-scales spiny or prickly, but not developing talon-like spurs; cones 

ovate, 7.2 to 12 cm. long; needles 1.2 to 2.4 dm. long. 

5. P. ponderosa. 


Cones not breaking through near the base. 

Cones opening in the fall after ripening or sometimes tardily opening; 

cones .2.4 to 4.2 cm. long: needles in 2s.6. P. contorta. 

Cones remaining closed and persistent for many years. 

Needles in 2s; cones broadly ovate, 4.8 to 7.2 cm.' long, often 

developing stout spurs; seashore.7. P. muricata. 

Needles in 3s. 


Cones broadly ovoid, 6 to 10.8 cm. long; seashore....8. P. radicita. 

Cones oblong-ovate, 7.2 to 14.4 cm. long; montane. 

9. P. tuberculata. 

L P. monticola Don. Silver Pine. Tree 15 to 50 m. high; needles 














PINE FAMILY 


27 


very slender, 2.4 to 9 cm. long; cones in pendulous clusters of 1 to 7, 
rather soft, 1.4 to 2 dm. long.—High montane, Sierra Nevada. The 
wood is similar in quality to Sugar Pine wood. 

2. P. lambertiana Dougl. Sugar Pine. Tree 20 to 60 m. high, 1 to 2 
m. in diameter; leaves in 5s; cones cylindrical, 2.4 to 4.5 dm. long, pen¬ 
dent from the ends of the horizontally spreading branches.—Higher 
mountain ranges. The wood is soft, light, straight-grained and very 
white and satiny when finished. It has a high commercial value and is 
rapidy becoming scarce. 

3. P. coulteri Don. Big-Cone Pine. Tree 11 to 25 m. high with long 
lower branches; needles in 3s; cones long-ovate, 2.4 to 3.1 dm. long, 
breaking near the base when falling like cone of Yellow Pine.—Mts. of 
S. Cal. A useful species for watershed cover. 

4. P. sabiniana Dougl. Digger Pine. Tree 5 to 17 m. high, the main 
stem freely branching; leaves drooping; cones on short peduncles, oval. 
1.4 to 2.4 dm. long.—Dry foothills around the Great Valley. The wood is 
heavy, coarse-grained, very resinous and warps in seasoning. It is much 
used for fuel. 

5. P. ponderosa Dougl. Yellow Pine. Tree 17 to 57 m. high or 
more; bark fissured into large plates; leaves in 3s; cones oval, 7 to 12 cm. 
long, breaking near the base when falling, some of the lower scales per¬ 
sistent on the stem.—Mountain slopes, abundant and widely spread. The 
wood is fine- and straight-grained, heavy or sometimes light, usually very 
resinous, pale yellow or reddish yellow. It is extensively used as a struc¬ 
tural timber. 

6. P. contorta Dougl. Beach Pine. Low tree 1 to 5 m. high; cones 
narrow, 3.6 to 6 cm. long.—Sea cliffs and beaches, Mendocino Co. and n. 
Var. murrayana Engelm. Tamrac Pine. Tree 11 to 35 m. high; bark 
very thin.—Sierra Nevada at higher altitudes, often in swampy meadows. 
Its wood is not highly esteemed but it will come into use as a substitute 
timber. 

7 P. muricata Don. Bishop Pine. Tree 11 to 23 m. high; cones 
broadly ovate, 4.8 to 7 cm. long, in persistent circles.—Local along the 
coast, Mendocino Co., Pt. Reyes, Monterey. 

8. P. radiata Don. Monterey Pine. Tree 7 to 28 m. high with 
dark bark; cones oval, very one-sided, 7.2 to 12 cm. long.—Monterey; 
Santa Cruz coast. This tree is extensively planted for slope cover and 
for shelter. Its wood is used for boxes. 

9. P. tuberculata Gord. Knob-Cone Pine. Tree 1 to 8 m. high; 
cones narrowly ovate, 7 to 14 cm. long, forming persistent circles; scales 
on outside towards.the base with conspicuous knobs.—Rocky slopes in 
the mountains, localized at middle altitudes. 

2. PICEA Link. Spruce 

Trees with linear leaves. Leaves spreading on all sides, eventually 
falling and leaving a persistent woody base or peg. Cones maturing first 
autumn, pendent. Scales thin, with shorter bracts. (Picea, ancient Latin 
name, from pix, pitch.) 

1. P. sitchensis Carr. Tideland Spruce. Sitka Spruce. Tree 23 to 


28 


TAXODIACEAE 


57 m. high, 8.6 to 57 dm. in diameter, with drooping branchlets; cones 
long-oblong, 4.8 to 9.6 cm. long.—Along the coast, Mendocino Co. n. 
The wood is light, soft, straight-grained and is extensively converted 
into lumber. 

3. PSEUDOTSUGA Carr. 

Trees with linear leaves, distinctly petioled, spreading more or less 
widely. Cones pendulous, maturing the first year. Bracts linear, ex- 
serted beyond the roundish scales, acutely 2-lobed at apex with a long 
slender point in the notch. (Greek pseudos, false, and Japanese tsuga, 
hemlock.) 

1. P. taxifolia Britt. Douglas Fir. Douglas Spruce. Straight tall 
tree 14 to 60 m. high or more; cones 4 to 8.4 cm. long.—Mountain slopes, 
Cal. to B. C. In the lumber trade it is known as “Oregon Pine/’ The 
wood is straight-grained, tough, light for its weight and furnishes one 
of the most important structural timbers in the world for bridges, build¬ 
ings and ships. 

2. P. macrocarpa Mayr. Big-Cone Spruce. Tree 8 to 17 m. high or 
more; cones 9.6 to 18 cm. long.—Mountains of S. Cal. 

4. ABIES Link. Fir 

Tall symetrical trees. Leaves linear, leaving a smooth circular scar 
when they fall. Cones erect, maturing the first autumn, falling to pieces 
on the tree. (The Latin name.) 

1. A. concolor Lindl. & Gord. White Fir. Tree 17 to 57 dm. high; 
young bark whitish, old bark gray or drab, heavily fissured; leaves 
twisted on short petioles; cones oblong, 4.8 to 13 cm. long.—Mountain 
slopes. The wood is soft, light, coarse-grained, fairly strong and is ex¬ 
tensively used for fruit boxes. 

2. A. magnifica Murr. Red Fir. Tree 17 to 57 m. high; old bark dark 
red, roughly fissured; leaves not twisted, sessile; cones broadly oval or 
oblong, 9.6 to 19 cm. long.—Mountain slopes and ridges, Sierra Nevada 
and high North Coast Ranges. The wood is heavy, strong, fine-grained, 
durable, reddish, and is valued for bridges and shaft-timbers. 

TAXODIACEAE. REDWOOD FAMILY 

Trees with linear or awl-shaped alternate leaves. Staminate and ovu¬ 
late catkins on same tree; bracts none. Fruit a woody cone.—Species 13, 
widely scattered over the earth. 

1. SEQUOIA Endl. Redwood 

Tall trees with thick red bark and linear, ovate-lanceolate or triangular- 
acute alternate leaves. Cones maturing the second year. Scales at right 
angles to the axis, cuneate, with a rhomboidal umbilicate apex. (The 
Cherokee Indian, Sequoyah, who invented an alphabet for his tribe.) 

1. S. sempervirens Endl. Redwood. Tree 30 to 85 m. high; leaves 
linear, petioled, 8 to 18 mm. long, spreading in 2 ranks or flat sprays; 
cones ovoid, 1.8 to 2.4 cm. long.—Near the coast, Monterey Co. to sw. 
Ore. The wood is reddish, soft, remarkably straight-grained, light but 
strong, free from resin and is applied to numerous uses in buildings, 


CUPRESSACEAE 


29 


manufactures and the arts. It is the tallest tree of the earth’s silva, 
reaching an extreme height of 103.6 m. 

2. S. gigantea Lindl. Rig Tree. Tree 40 to 90 m. high; leaves short 
ovate or subulate, sessile, spreading spirally and making roundish sprays; 
cones elliptic-globose, 4.8 to 8.4 cm. long.—Sierra Nevada, at middle alti¬ 
tudes. The wood is similar to Redwood, but pinker and more brittle, 
and is used for similar purposes. It is in massiveness the largest tree on 
earth. 

CUPRESSACEAE. CYPRESS FAMILY 

Trees or shrubs with opposite or whorled scale-like (or rarely linear) 
leaves thickly clothing the branches. Stamens and ovules in separate cat¬ 
kins. Cone woody or fleshy. Scales few; bracts none.—Species about 


80, widely distributed over the earth. 

Fruit a woody cone ; stamens and ovules on same tree. 

Branclilets flattened; cones maturing in first autumn. 1. Libocedrus. 

Branchlets cord-like; cones maturing in second autumn. 2. Cupressus. 

Fruit a berry; stamens and ovules on different trees. 3. Juniperus. 

1. LIBOCEDRUS Endl. 


Trees with branchlets in flat sprays. Leaves scale-like, opposite, in 
four rows, the successive pairs unlike. Cones oblong, with imbricated 
oblong scales. Seeds 2 at the base of scale. (Greek libas, referring to 
the trickling of resin, and kedros, cedar.) 

1. L. decurrens Torr. Incense Cedar. Tree 14 to 36 m. high; cones 
oblong-ovate, 1.8 to 2.4 cm. long.—Montane. The wood is soft, light, fine- 
and straight-grained and exceedingly durable in soil or water. It is 
used for telephone poles and fence posts. 

2. CUPRESSUS L. Cypress 

Trees or shrubs with small scale-like opposite leaves thickly clothing 
the branches. Cones composed of 6 to 10 very thick roundish and peltate 
scales fitting closely together. Seeds several at the base of each scale. 
(Classical name of the Cypress.) 

1. C. macrocarpa Hartw. Monterey Cypress. Tree 5 to 17 m. high; 
cones sub-globose, 1.8 to 3.6 cm. long.—Coast at Monterey; very common 
in cultivation, especially as a hedge-plant. 

3. JUNIPERUS L. Juniper 

Trees or shrubs. Leaves in whorls of 3 or opposite, scale-like or 
linear-subulate. Cones fleshy and berry-like, 1 to 3-seeded. (Ancient 


Latin name.) 

Berries reddish-brown, oblong; medium altitudes.1. J. californica. 

Berries blue-black, globose or sub-globose ; high montane.2. /. occidentalis. 


1. J. californica Carr. California Juniper. Shrub 5.7 to 43 dm. high 
or occasionally a tree up to 11 m. high ; berries sub-globose or oblong, with 
1 to 3 seeds.—Dry hills and mountain sides, inner ranges and s. to Mohave 
Desert. The wood is hard and very durable. It is used for fence posts 
and fuel. 

2. J. occidentalis Hook. Sierra Juniper. Tree 2 to 13 m. high; ber¬ 
ries globose to ovoid, with 2 seeds.—High granite ridges and cirques. 
The wood is very fine-grained, soft, brittle and exceedingly durable. 







30 


RANUNCULACEAE 


TAXACEAE. YEW FAMILY 

Trees or shrubs with linear leaves 2-ranked by a twist in their petioles. 
Stamens and ovules on different trees. Fruit berry-like or drupe-like.— 


Species about 70, all continents. 

Fruit red, berry-like; leaves 1.2 to 1.6 cm. long. 1. Taxus. 

Fruit green or purplish, plum-like; leaves 3 to 6 cm. long. 2. Torreya. 

1. TAXUS L. Yew 


Trees or shrubs. Fruit cup-shaped, fleshy, red, surrounding the 
bony seed, the whole berry-like. (Ancient Latin name of the yew, prob¬ 
ably from Greek toxon, a bow, the wood used for bows.) 

1. T. brevifolia Nutt. Western Yew. Tree 2 to 8 m. high; fruit borne 
on under side of the sprays.—Deep, shady canons; Santa Cruz Mts. n.; 
Calaveras Co. n. The wood is hard, heavy, close-grained, flexible and 
durable. The native tribes made from it their best bows, just as the 
bowmen of Henry the Fourth made theirs from the closely allied English 
Yew. It is now used for tool handles and machine-bearings. 

2. TORREYA Arn. Stinking Yew 
Trees with rigid sharp-pointed leaves. Fruit drupe-like. (John Tor- 
rey, Professor of Botany in Columbia College.) 

1. T. califomica Torr. California Nutmeg. Tree 4 to 14 m. high; 
fruit elliptical, 2.7 to 4.2 cm. long.—Cool shady canons: Santa Cruz Mts. 
to Mendocino Co.; Sierra Nevada. The wood is fine- and close-grained, 
elastic, very strong and durable. The tree is scarce and the wood so 
highly prized that it no longer gets into the general market. 


Division II.—ANGIOSPERMAE 
Class I. —Dicotyledons 


RANUNCULACEAE. BUTTERCUP FAMILY 


Herbs with alternate leaves (except Clematis). Parts of the flower 
all distinct and borne on the receptacle. Stamens numerous. Pistils 
several, 1-celled. Fruit a pod, achene or rarely a berry. Sepals often 
petal-like and petals none.—About 680 species, mainly in north temperate 
and sub-arctic regions. 


Ovary several to many-ovuled ; fruit a follicle or berry; herbs. 

Flowers regular. 

Petals not spurred. 

Flowers solitary, rarely 2 to 3, large; petals 5 or 6, brownish- 

red .1. Paeonia 

Flowers many, in racemes, white; petals 1 to 10, minute or none. 

2. Actaea 

Petals 5, prolonged backward into hollow spurs.3. Aquilegia 

Flowers irregular, complete; petals 4; upper sepal strongly spurred. 

4. Delphinium 

Ovary usually with one ovule; fruit an achene. 

Leaves alternate or basal; herbs. 

Petals none. 

Cauline leaves in a single involucral whorl of 3; flowers perfect, 
mostly large, the sepals petal-like.5. Anemone. 










BUTTERCUP FAMILY 


31 


Cauline leaves alternate; flowers inconspicuous, unisexual, com¬ 


monly dioecious, the sepals greenish.6. Thalictrum. 

Petals present, with a nectar-pit on claw; achenes crowded on a convex 

receptacle so as to appear capitate.7. Ranunculus. 

Leaves opposite ; flowers polygamous ; woody climber. 8. Clematis. 


1. PAECNIA L. 

Leaves ternately compound. Flowers large,, solitary and terminal. Se¬ 
pals and petals 5 or 6, the petals and the numerous stamens borne on a 
fleshy disk which is attached to the base of the calyx. Pods 2 to 5, thick 
and leathery. (Paion, the physician of the gods.) 

1. P. brownii Dough Peony. Somewhat fleshy plant, 2.2 to 2.8 dm. 
high ; leaves chiefly basal; peduncles 2.4 to 4.8 cm. long; petals dull red, 
thick and leathery, scarcely longer than the roundish concave sepals; 
pods 2.4 to 3.6 cm. long.—Brushy hillslopes. 

2. ACTAEA L. 

Leaves once or twice ternately compound, ample. Flowers small, white, 
in a terminal raceme. Sepals about 4, early falling. Petals small and 
narrow or none. Stamens many with small anthers and slender white 
filaments, which are more showy than the petals. Pistil 1, becoming a 
berry. (Latin name of the elder, transferred by Linnaeus to these plants.) 

1. A. spicata L. var. arguta Torr. Baneberry. Stems clustered, 4.3 
to 14.4 dm. high, from stout rootstocks; leaves mostly basal, 2.8 to 5.7 dm. 
long; leaflets deeply cut and sharply serrate; berry red or white, nearly 
globose.—Forests or wooded hills. 

3. AQUILEGIA L. 

Leaves chiefly basal, ternately compound. Flowers solitary, showy. 
Sepals 5, of the same color as the petals. Petals 5, all alike and with 
large spurs projecting backward. Some inner stamens sterile and reduced 
to scarious scales. Pistils 5, becoming several-seeded pods. (Derivation 
doubtful, said by some to be from the Latin aquila, an eagle, on account 
of the claw-like spurs.) 

1. A. truncata F. & M. Columbine. Stems 5.7 to 8.6 dm. high; leaflets 
roundish, incised and toothed above; flowers scarlet, tinged with yellow, 
hanging; spurs about 1.8 cm. long.—Shady and rather moist places in the 
hills. 

4. DELPHINIUM L. Larkspur 

Leaves palmately lobed or divided. Flowers in terminal racemes. 
Sepals 5, the upper one spurred at base. Petals 4, in pairs, the upper pair 
with nectar-bearing spurs which are hidden in the spur of the calyx. 
Pistils commonly 3. (Greek delphinion, Larkspur, derived from delphin, 
the flowers of some species resembling the classical figures of the dolphin.) 
Flowers red. 

Leaves divided into narrowly linear or lanceolate divisions ; stem leafy..... 


1. D. cardinale. 

Leaves parted into broad divisions ; stem few-leaved.....2. D. nudicaule. 

Flowers blue, white, pink or lavender. 

Root a globose tuber or a cluster of fleshy roots.3. D. decorum. 

Root a cluster of hard woody, often fusiform fibres. 

Petioles hirsute with spreading hairs, mostly short.4. D. variegatum. 

Petioles finely canescent. 









32 


RANUNCULACEAE 


Sepals densely pubescent on the back; leaf-lobes short; chiefly west- 
central Cal.5. D. hesperium. 

Sepals lightly pubescent on the back; leaf-lobes long; chiefly S. 

Cal..6. D. parryi. 

1. D. cardinale Hook. Scarlet Larkspur. Stems stout, 8.6 to 17 dm. 
high; leaves deeply and sharply twice cut into mostly very narrow di¬ 
visions; raceme many-flowered, 1.4 to 4.3 dm. long; flower bright scarlet 
with yellow center.—-S. Cal. 

2. D. nudicaule T. & G. Red Larkspur. Stems 2.8 to 5.7 dm. high, 
rather slender; leaves somewhat succulent, mostly basal, 3 to 5-lobed or 
-divided into broad cleft or toothed divisions, each lobe with a short blunt 
cuspidation at apex; raceme about 2 to 12-flowered; flowers red.—Shady 
mountain sides. 

3. D. decorum F. & M. Almost glabrous; basal leaves somewhat suc¬ 
culent, roundish, 3 to 5-lobed or -parted into wedge-shaped lobed or nearly 
entire segments; petioles short; upper leaves divided into narrow lobes; 
racemes commonly many-flowered, the spreading pedicels 1.2 to 4.8 cm. 
long; sepals blue, 1.2 to 1.8 cm. long; pods erect (or the tips spreading).— 
Open woods. 

4. D. variegatum T. & G. Royal Larkspur. Stem simple or sometimes 
branching, 2.8 to 4.3 dm. high; leaves deeply cut into narrowly oblong 
diverging segments; raceme loosely 3 to 10-flowered, the pedicels ascend¬ 
ing or spreading; sepals deep blue, 1.2 to 2.4 cm. long, the spur often 
slightly curved at tip.—Low open foothills. 

5. D. hesperium Gray. Western Larkspur. Stem simple, 4.3 to 7.2 
dm. high; raceme rather dense, often wand-like, 1.4 to 2.8 dm. long, the 
pedicels strictly erect; sepals blue, white, or pink, 8 to 12 mm. long, the 
spur straight.—Plains and foothills. Var. recurvatum Jepson. Leaves, 
with narrower more acute divisions; flowers pink-lavender or lavender- 
white ; sepals recurving.—Low, alkaline lands. 

6. D. parryi Gray. Stems simple, 2.8 to 7.9 dm. high; leaves twice 
divided and redivided into narrowly linear lobes; racemes wand-like, often 
cylindric, 9.6 to 33.6 cm. long; flowers blue or light purplish, rarely white; 
angles of seed winged.—S. Cal. Var. maritimum Dav. Commonly 
branching, pedicels longer; flowers large; angles of seed not winged.— 
Coast region, S. Cal. 

5. ANEMONE L. Wind-Flower 

Stem simple, from a rootstock. Leaves basal except a single whorl (in¬ 
volucre) below the solitary or umbellate flowers. Sepals 5 or more, petal¬ 
like. Petals none. Stamens numerous. Achenes many, ours short- 
.pointed. (Greek anemos, wind, the flowers disturbed by the wind.) 

L A. quinquefolia L. var. grayi (Greene) Jepson. Stems slender, 
9.6 to 28.8 cm. high; involucral leaves with 3-(or sometimes 5-) toothed 
leaflets; basal leaf 1; flowers white, 1.2 to 1.8 cm. broad; sepals about 6.— 
Shady woods, Santa Cruz Co. to Siskiyou Co. 

6. THALICTRUM L. Meadow Rue 

Herbs with tall stems from a short rootstock bearing 2 or 3 times ter- 
nately compound leaves. Flowers many, small, in a terminal panicle, the 
staminate and pistillate on different plants. Sepals 4 to 7, more or less 




BUTTERCUP FAMILY 


33 


greenish. Petals none. Anthers on thread-like filaments. Fruit an 
achene, tipped with the style. (Greek thallo, to grow green, the ap¬ 
plication uncertain.) 

1. T. polycarpum Wats. Plants 3.6 to 8.6 dm. high; leaflets ovate to 
roundish, serrate, incised or divided into 2 or 3 segments; stamens 16 to 
25; achenes of about the same number, the sides marked with interlacing 
veins.—Hills and narrow valleys. 

7. RANUNCULUS L. Buttercup. Crowfoot 
Stem usually freely branching, the flowers solitary or in clusters at the 
ends of the branches. Leaves basal or alternate. Flowers yellow (some¬ 
times white). Sepals 5. Petals 5, each with a nectar-bearing pit at 
base. Stamens numerous. Pistils many, becoming a globose cluster of 
flattish achenes pointed or beaked by the persistent style. (Latin name 
for a little frog, some species growing in wet places where frogs are 
found.) 

Petals yellow ; nectar-bearing pit covered by a scale. 

Achenes with a firm close coat, not loose or utricular. 

Achenes not spiny, nor with hooked hairs. 

Leaves simple, entire; stems filiform, creeping.1. R. flammula. 

Leaves (or some of them) toothed, lobed or divided. 

Beak of the achenes commonly curved, shorter than the body. 

Petals 9 to 16 ; beak rather closely recurved. 


2. R. calif ornicus. 

Petals 5 or 6; beak more or less erect.3. R. occidentalis. 

Beak of the achenes straight, as long as the body....4. R. bloomeri. 
Achenes prickly, or with stiffish hooked hairs. 

Flowers minute, the petals only as long as the stamens; achenes 

with hooked hairs.5. R. hebecarpus. 

. Flowers medium, the petals much longer than the stamens; achene 

spiny-muricate, with raised border.6. R. muricatus. 

Achenes with a thin coat, striate ; stems creeping.7. R. cymbalaria. 

Petals white; nectar-bearing pit not covered by a scale; aquatic; leaves im¬ 
mersed, filiform-dissected.,.8. R. aquatilis. 


1. R. flammula L. var. reptans E. Mey. Spearwort. Stems slender, 
reclining or creeping, rooting at the joints, 9.6 to 14.4 cm. long; leaves 
lanceolate or linear-lanceolate, entire, 2.4 to 4.8 cm. long; tapering 
below into a petiole; flowers 4 to 8 mm. broad: petals 5; achenes few, the 
beak short and stout.—Margins of pools or streams. 

2. R. californicus Benth. Common Buttercup. Freely branching 
plant with several to many clustered stems (1.2 to 4.8 dm. high) and 
mostly basal leaves; leaves roundish in outline, ternately divided and 
again divided or lobed, the earlier with broad divisions, the later with 
sharply cleft narrowly linear divisions; petals 9 to 16, 8 to 10 mm. long; 
achenes with short stout closely recurved beak.—Open hills and valleys. 

3. R. occidentalis Nutt. var. eisenii Gray. Stems slender, erect, 2.8 to 
4.3 dm. high; herbage with spreading hairs or subglabrous; basal leaves 
roundish, 3 or 5-cleft or -parted; upper with linear segments; petals 5 
or 6; beak of achenes slender, rather closely recurving.—Sierra Nevada 
and Coast Range foothills. 

4. R. bloomeri Wats. Glabrous succulent herb with stems 1.4 to 3.6 
dm. high; leaves simple or mostly with 3 leaflets, long-petioled; leaflets 
roundish, coarsely dentate or incised; flowers few, 3 cm. broad or less; 









34 


CALYCANTHACEAE 


petals 5, notched at apex and with a greenish area at base.—Low wet 
places in valley fields. 

5. R. hebecarpus H. & A. Very slender sparsely hairy herb 1.2 to 
2.6 dm. high; leaves thin, round or kidney-shaped in outline, parted or 
divided into 3 entire or lobed divisions; petals minute, of the same length 
as the stamens; achenes few, covered with short hooked hairs.—Open 
woods. 

6. R. muricatus L. Stout, glabrous and succulent, 7.2 to 24 cm. high; 
herbage yellowish green; leaves round or kidney-shaped, deeply 3-cleft 
into cleft or toothed lobes; petals 6 to 8 mm. long; achenes 8 mm. long, 
including the sword-shaped beak, the sides with coarse prickles and sur¬ 
rounded by a raised border.—Nat. from Eur. 

7. R. cymbalaria Pursh. Flowering stems naked, 7.2 to 14.4 cm. long; 
leaves basal and at the joints of the long thread-like rooting runners, 
broadly ovate or ovate-cordate, coarsely crenate; petals 5 to 9, 2 to 8 mm. 
long; achenes with bladdery walls, the sides nerved, borne on an elon¬ 
gated receptacle and forming an oblong cluster 6 to 12 mm. long.—Wet 
saline places. 

8. R. aquatilis L. Water Buttercup. Leaves submersed, many times 
dissected into thread-like or hair-like divisions; flowers 6 to 14 mm. 
broad; achenes wrinkled crosswise.—Ponds and ditches. 

8. CLEMATIS L. Virgin’s Bower 

Stems woody below, climbing by aid of the petioles of the opposite 
compound leaves. Sepals 4, white and petal-like. Petals none. Stamens 
numerous. Fruit consisting of a cluster of numerous achenes, the styles 
persistent as hairy or feathery tails and very conspicuous in the fruiting 
stage. (Ancient name, from Greek klema, a twig.) 

1. C. lasiantha Nutt. Pipe-Stem. Leaflets 3, elliptic or roundish, 
coarsely toothed and often 3-lobed, 2.4 to 4.8 cm. long; peduncles bear¬ 
ing 1 to 3 flowers which are 3 to 5.4 cm. broad; sepals broadly oblong; 
tails of the achene 2.4 cm. long or more forming a head-like cluster 4.8 to 
6 cm. broad.—Clambering over shrubs in the foothills. 

2. C. ligusticifolia Nutt. Hill Clematis. Leaflets 5 to 7, variable, 
3-lobed or coarsely toothed; peduncles bearing a cluster or panicle of 
many flowers; flowers 1.2 cm. in diameter; sepals narrowly oblong, acute; 
fruiting panicles 7.2 to 36 cm. long.—Wooded hills. 

CALYCANTHACEAE. SWEET-SHRUB FAMILY 

Aromatic shrubs with opposite entire leaves. Bracts, sepals and petals 
passing into each other, all (with the numerous stamens) adnate to or 
inserted upon the enlarged hollow receptacle which is like a rosediip. 
Pistils many, becoming achenes.—Species 4, North America and Asia. 

1. CALYCANTHUS L. 

Flowers livid red. Petals in several rows. Inner stamens sterile. 
(Greek kalyx, covering or calyx, and anthos, flower.) 

1. C. occidentalis H. & A. Sweet-Shrub. Erect branching shrub 1 to 
2 m. high; leaves ovate to oblong-lanceolate, acute at apex, 3.6 to 14.4 cm. 
long; sepals and petals linear-spatulate, 1.8 to 3 cm. long.—Canon streams. 
A crushed flower is used as a handkerchief perfume by mountain people. 


BERBERIDACEAE 


35 


BERBERIDACEAE. BARBERRY FAMILY 

Shrub or herbs, ours with alternate compound leaves. Flowers oerfect, 
regular. Sepals 6, in 2 circles. Petals 6, in 2 circles, the stamens as 
many and opposite them. Anthers opening by uplifting valves or lids. 
Ovary superior, 1-celled.—Species about 130, widely distributed. 

Shrubs or low woody plants; leaves pinnate, prickly: petals bifid.1. Berberis. 

Perennial acaulescent herbs; leaves triternate; petals entire.2. Vancouveria. 

1. BERBERIS L. Barberry 

Flowers yellow, in racemes. Sepals petal-like. Fruit a berry. (Arabic 
name.) 

Filaments with a pair of recurved teeth near the apex; racemes short; bud-scales 
few, deciduous, small; leaflets 3 to 9 (or 13), pinnately veined. 

Leaflets with few (5 to 15) teeth; erect shrubs of dry ground; racemes 
densely many-flowered.....1. B. californica. 

Leaflets with more numerous teeth. 

Foliage not very dense ; leaflets shining above, their teeth spine-tipped. 

2. B. aquifolium. 

Foliage mostly in a dense terminal fascicle ; leaflets thin, with numerous 

bristle-tipped teeth.3. B. pinnata. 

Filaments without teeth ; racemes elongated ; bud-scales large, persistent; leaflets 
11 to 21, somewhat palmately veined.4 ..B. nervosa. 

1. B. californica Jepson. Stems rigidly erect, 8.6 to 17 dm. high; 
leaves 3.6 to 9.6 cm. long; raceme 2.4 to 4.8 cm. long.—Dry rocky interior 
foothills and desert ridges. 

2. B. aquifolium Pursh. Mountain Grape. Stems erect, 3 to 12 dm. 
high; racemes fascicled in the axils and at the summit, dense, 2.4 to 4.8 
cm. long; berries blue, glaucous, large.—Rocky canons, North Coast 
Ranges. 

3. B. pinnata Lag. California Barberry. Stems erect, stout, branch¬ 
ing. 1 to 4 dm. high (or to 14 dm.) ; leaves 4.8 to 9.6 cm. long; racemes 
clustered, dense.—Hill summits and slopes, mostly along the edge of 
thickets. 

4. B. nervosa Pursh. Oregon Grape. Stem simple, scaly, 1.4 to 5.8 
dm. high, bearing the leaves in a terminal tuft; leaves 2.2 to 3.8 dm. long; 
berries blue-glaucous.—Woods near the coast. 

2. VANCOUVERIA Morr. & Dec. 

Leaves basal or nearly so. Flowers in a panicle on a scape-like 
peduncle. Petals ligulate-tipped with a hood-like nectar-bearing append¬ 
age. Fruit a follicle. (Capt. George Vancouver of the English explor¬ 
ing ship Discovery, who visited San Francisco Bay in 1792.) 

1. V. parviflora Greene. Inside-out Flower. Stems 2 to 4.8 dm. 
high, sparsely hairy; leaves persisting through the winter; leaflets 1.8 to 
3.6 cm. long; flowers white or lavender-tinged.—Shady woods, Redwood 
belt. 

LAURACEAE. LAUREL FAMILY 

Aromatic trees or shrubs with alternate simple leaves, perfect regular 
flowers (in ours), no corolla, anthers opening by uplifted valves, and 
fruit a drupe.—This family, consisting of about 1000 species, mostly in 
tropical forests, is characterized by a volatile oil found in all parts of 








36 


PAPAVERACEAE 


the plant, whence the spices of commerce. Important species are Cin- 
namomum zeylanicnm Nees (Cinnamon Tree), C. camphora N. & E. 
(Camphor Tree) and Sassafras officinale N. & E. (Sassafras). Branch- 
lets of Laurus nobilis L., the classical Laurel, were used by the Greeks 
and Romans to crown victors. 

1. UMBELLULARIA Nutt. 

Evergreen. Flowers small, in simple umbels. Sepals 6. Stamens 9, 
the 3 inner with a stalked orange-colored gland on each side of the 
filament at base and alternating with scale-like staminodia. Anthers 
4-celled, 4-valved. Ovary 1-celled, 1-ovuled. (Latin umbellularia, a little 
umbel.) 

1. U. californica Nutt. Cx\lifornia Laurel. Tree 5 to 14 m. high, or 
on hilltops a shrub 1 to 4 m. high; leaves oblong; drupe 2.4 cm. long, 
brown-purple when fully ripe.—Mountain streams or (near the coast) 
in valleys. Also called Bay Tree and Pepperwood. The wood is heavy, 
hard and strong, takes a high polish and is used for furniture and the 
finest interior finish. 

2. PERSEA Gaertn. 

Evergreen. Flowers perfect, small, in panicles. Calyx deeply 6-parted. 
Stamens 9; staminodia 3. (Greek name of an Egyptian tree.) 

1. P. gratissima Gaertn. f. Alligator Pear. Avocado. Leaves 7.2 to 
36 cm. long; fruit a large pear-shaped fleshy drupe.—Native of Central 
America, cult, in S. Cal. Var. drymifolia Mez. Leaves anise-scented; 
flowers more pubescent; fruit smaller, thin-skinned.—Cult. 


PAPAVERACEAE. POPPY FAMILY 


Herbs (except Dendromecon) with regular flowers. Sepals 2 to 3, 
early-falling, the petals twice as many. Stamens commonly numerous. 
Pistil 1 ; ovary 1-celled, becoming a pod in fruit.—In Platystemon the 
lightly united parts of the pistil become distinct in fruit. In Eschscholt- 
zia the 2 sepals are united into a pointed cap. The juice often contains 
poisonous properties. The family consists of about 80 species, widely 
distributed in the north temperate zone. 


Sepals distinct, caducous; receptacle not hollowed. 

Sepals 3 ; petals 6 ; leaves opposite or basal; annuals. 

Stigmas 6 to many ; petals withering-persistent. 1.Platystemon. 

Stigmas 3 ; petals deciduous. 2. Meconella. 

Sepals 2 ; petals 4 ; leaves alternate or basal. 

Leaves entire, leathery; shrub. 3. Dendromecon. 

Leaves lobed or dissected ; herbs. 

Flowers erect in bud ; capsule 4 to 6-valved at summit..4. Argemone. 
Flowers nodding in bud ; capsule opening by holes just below summit 

5. Papaver. 

Sepals united into a calyptra or foolscap body, which is pushed off by the 4 
expanding petals ; receptacle hollowed.6. Eschscholtzia. 


1. PLATYSTEMON Benth. 

Low annual with mainly opposite entire leaves. Filaments of the sta¬ 
mens broad. Pistils v 6 to 20, at first joined, in fruit distinct and breaking 
crosswise into 1-seeded joints. (Greek platus, broad, and stemon, a 
stamen.) 






POPPY FAMILY 


37 


1. P. califomicus Benth. Cream Cups. Branched from the base, the 
branches ascending, 7.2 to 14.4 cm. high; herbage hairy; flowers yellow, 
on long stalks.—Open hills and plains. 

2. MECONELLA Nutt. 

Resembling Platystemon, but sepals sometimes 2 and petals 4. Sta¬ 
mens 6 to 12 or more. Fruit a 3-valved pod. (Greek mekon, poppy, and 
ella, diminutive.) 

Herbage glabrous ; stamens 6 to 12 ; leaves not all basal.1. M. oregana. 

Herbage hairy ; stamens numerous ; leaves all basal or nearly so.2. M. linearis . 

1. M. oregana Nutt var. califomicus (Torr.) Jepson. Very slender 
branching plant 4.6 to 16.8 cm. high; lower leaves roundish or obovate, 
upper oblanceolate or linear; flower-stalks 4.8 to 7 cm. long, erect at 
first, in fruit turned downward horizontally; petals white, 6 to 12 mm. 
long; filaments thread-like or slightly widened upward; pod cylindrical, 
twisted.—Valleys and low hills. 

2. M. linearis (Benth.) Jepson. Stemless or nearly so, the flower-stalks 
scape-like, 9.6 to 19 cm. high: leaves linear; petals light yellow, 8 to 18 
mm. long; filaments conspicuously widened; pod 3-lobed.—Valleys and 
low hills. 

3. DENDROMECON Benth. 

Shrub with alternate entire somewhat leathery leaves and yellow 
flowers. Stamens numerous. Style short, bearing 2 stigmas. Pod linear 
and seeds pitted. (Greek dendron, tree, and mekon, poppy.) 

1. D. rigida Benth. Bush-Poppy. Shrub 5.7 to 20 dm. high, the main 
trunk with very shreddy bark; leaves ovate- to linear-lanceolate, borne on 
short petioles which, by a twist, bring the blade vertical; flowers 2.4 to 6 
cm. broad; pod curved, 4.8 to 9.6 cm. long.—Dry slopes and ridges at 
middle altitudes. 

4. ARGEMONE L. Prickly Poppy 

Annual herbs with acrid orange juice and prickly sinuate or pinnatifid 
leaves. Flowers erect in the bud. Sepals 2 (often 3) with a horn-like 
appendage below apex. Petals 4 (or 6). (Greek name of some herb, 
transferred here.) 

1. A. platyceras Link & Otto. Robust, 4 to 11.5 dm. high, very spiny; 
petals white; capsule-valves crested or spiny.—S. Cal. Var. hispida 
Prain. Chicalote. Whole plant densely setose-hispid as well as armed 
with stouter yellow spines.—Mountain valleys or canon flats. 

5. PAPAVER L. Poppy 

Herbs with the leaves pinnately cleft, lobed or divided. Flowers soli¬ 
tary on long stalks. Sepals 2. Petals 4. Stamens many. Pod sub-glo¬ 
bose or obovoid, with 4 to many intruded placentae. (Latin name of the 
poppy.) 

Juice milky; stigmas sessile, radiating upon the summit of the ovary. 

1. P. californicum. 

Juice yellow; stigmas capitate upon a short slender style. 2. P. heterophyllum. 

1. P. calif ornicum Gray. Western Poppy. Plants 4.3 to 6 dm. high; 
leaves pinnately divided, the segments oblong or roundish, lobed, toothed 
or entire; petals red with a green spot at base; pod turbinate-obovate.— 
Hill country, cismontane S. Cal.; n. to Marin Co. 





38 


FUMARIACEAE 


2. P. heterophyllum (Benth.) Greene. Wind Poppy. Plants 4.3 to 
5.7 dm. high; leaves pinnate or pinnately cleft, the segments varying 
from oval to linear, and variously cleft or entire; petals broadly obovate 
with wedge-shaped base, brick-red with a dark spot at base, 1.2 to 2.4 
cm. long ; pod clavate-obovate.—Hills and fields. 

6. ESCHSCHOLTZIA Cham. 

Herbs with ternately dissected mostly basal leaves and yellow flowers 
on long peduncles. Receptacle excavated or hollowed, forming a top¬ 
shaped dilation about the base of the pistil. Petals 4. Stamens numer¬ 
ous. Pod 2-valved. (Dr. J. F. Eschscholtz, college friend of Adelbert 
von Chamisso, German poet and naturalist, and his companion on Kotze¬ 
bue’s scientific voyage around the world.) 

Perennial; flowers large; receptacle (torus) with a collar-like rim..l. E. californica. 
Annual; flowers smaller; receptacle (torus) without rim or nearly so. 

Seeds strongly muricate, i.e. bur-like ; leaf divisions rather few....2. E. lobbii. 

Seeds not muricate; leaf divisions numerous.3. E. caespitosa. 

1. E. californica Cham. California Poppy. Erect or diffuse, the 
stems 1.4 to 5.7 dm. long; flowers commonly on long stalks; petals fan¬ 
shaped, 1.2 to 4.8 cm. long, deep orange to straw-color; spreading rim of 
the receptacle consnicuous in the soring flowering, reduced in the sum¬ 
mer and autumn.—Valleys and low hills everywhere. 

2. E. lobbii Greene. P'rying Pans. Scapose, 9.6 to 19 cm. high, the 
leaves in a basal tuft; petals light yellow, 6 to 12 mm. long; seeds strong¬ 
ly muricate with flattened processes.—Sterile gravelly or clay foothills 
and rolling valley plains of the Great Valley. 

3. E. caespitosa Benth. Stems mostly slender; flower-stalks 7 to 19 
cm. long, much exceeding the leaves; receptacle short-tubular, without 
spreading rim; petals 1.2 to 2.4 cm. long; seeds reticulate.—Canon sides. 

FUMARIACEAE. FUMITORY FAMILY 

Ours glabrous perennial herbs with alternate compound dissected 
leaves. Flowers perfect, irregular. Sepals 2, small and scale-like. Petals 
4, in 2 dissimilar pairs, the outer large, inner pair narrower, carinate or 
crested on the back, cohering by the callous apex and covering the anthers 
and stigma. Stamens in 2 sets of 3 each, placed opposite the outer petals, 
the filaments of each set usually united. Ovary superior. Capsule 
1-celled.—Species about 225, all continents except Australia and Africa. 

1. DICENTRA Bernh. 

Flowers in panicles or racemes or solitary. Corolla flattened, cordate 
at base. (Greek dis, twice and kentron, a spur, some species 2-spurred.) 

1. D. chrysantha (H. & A.) Walp. Golden Ear-drops. Stems stiff, 
coarse, leafy, 6 to 15 dm. high; leaves bipinnate, the division cleft into 
narrow lobes; flowers yellow, erect, in a large racemose panicle; petals 
distinct, 1.2 to 1.4 cm. long.—High dry ridges, inner ranges. 

2. D. formosa (Andr.) DC. Bleeding Heart. Stems naked, scape¬ 
like, 2 to 4,5 dm. high; leaves biternately compound, the divisions incisely 
cleft or pinnatifid; flowers rose-purple, nodding, borne in racemes; petals 
united to above the middle, 1.4 to 1.8 cm. long.—Shady woods. 



CRUCIFER AE 


39 


CRUCIFERAE. MUSTARD FAMILY 


Herbs with pungent juice and alternate leaves. Flowers in terminal 
leafless racemes, 4 sepals, 4 petals, 6 stamens (4 long and 2 short, or 
sometimes only 4 or 2). Pod 2-celled by a thin partition and splitting 
open by valves from the base. Some genera have a 1-celled pod which 
does not split open.—This family, which comprises about 1600 species, 
occurs in cold and temperate regions of all continents. The herbage is 
characterized by a pungent juice, antiscorbutic in its properties, which 
is present in some degree in every member of this family. Its presence 
is a more infallible mark of the family than any structural character. 


A. Pods enlongated or linear. 

Filaments with 1 or 2 pairs united; sepals strongly saccate at base, making a some¬ 
what flask-shaped flower.1. Streptanthus. 

Filaments all distinct. 

Pods somewhat corky, not splitting lengthwise.4. Raphanus. 

Pods splitting lengthwise, the 2 valves falling away and leaving the partition. 
Pods pointed with a long beak prolonged much beyond the valves-; 

flowers large, yellow.:.5. Brassica. 

Pods not beaked. 

Stems from annual roots or perennial root-crowns. 

Valves of the pod nerved. 

Pod valves more or less distinctly 3-nerved ; leaves pinnatifid 
or pinnately dissected; flowers yellow ; pods terete. .. 

3. Sisymbrium. 


Pod valves 1-nerved. 

Seeds commonly in 1 row in each cell (but see no. 8). 
Leaves pinnatifid (at least the lower) ; flowers small. 
Flowers yellow ; pods somewhat quadrangular, 

pointed ; perennial.6. Barbarea. 

Flowers white or yellowish; pods terete; ours 

annuals or perennials. 

2. Thelypodium. 

•Leaves commonly entire or toothed. 

Flowers orange or yellow.7. Erysimum, 

Flowers white or whitish or purple.. 8 . Arabis. 

Seeds in 2 rows in each cell; plants of wet places. 

11. Radicula. 

Valves of the pods not nerved; flowers white; leaves pinnate. 

9. Cardamine. 

Stems from tuberous rootstocks; some of the leaves 3-foliolate. 

10. Dentaria. 


B. Pods very short, nearly or quite as broad as long. 

Pods splitting open by valves. . . , . .. . , 

Pods flattened parallel to the broad partition ; flowers white or yellowish. 

12. Alyssum. 

Pods flattened contrary to the narrow partition. 

Pods obcordate or elliptical, several-seeded.13. Capsella. 

Pods roundish or ovate, notched or winged at summit, 2-seeded. 

14. Lepidium. 

Pods not splitting open, bordered by a wing.15. Thysanocarpus. 

1. STREPTANTHUS Nutt. 

Ours annuals, the basal leaves toothed or pinnatifid, those of the stem 
similar or entire, often clasping by a sagittate base. Flowers in terminal 
racemes. Sepals usually of the same color as the petals, strongly saccate 
at base and contracted above, the flower thus becoming somewhat flask- 















40 


CRUCIFERAE 


shaped. Petals purple or white, with a narrow crisped blade. Longer 
pairs of stamens with filaments more or less united. Pod narrowly linear. 
(Greek streptas, twisted, and anthos, flower, in reference to the petals.) 

1. S. glandulosus Hook. Jewel Flower. Simple or branching, 2.8 to 
5.7 dm. high; flowers nearly or quite 1.2 cm. long; sepals deep purple; 
petals purple, or white and purple; pods 4.8 to 7.2 cm. long, 2 mm. wide.— 
Hill and mountain sides. 

2. THELYPODIUM Endl. 

Coarse erect annuals or biennials. Basal leaves mostly petioled, those 
of the stem petioled or sessile-auriculate. Flowers white or pale yellow, 
rarely roseate, in often dense racemes. Petals with narrow claw and 
narrow or obovate limb. Pod terete, slender. (Greek thelus, female, 
and pus, foot or support, the ovary more or less stipitate.) 

1. T. lasiophyllum Greene. Stem simple or branching above, 2.8 to 
14 dm. high; herbage hispid or nearly glabrous; lower leaves pinnatifid, 
upper lanceolate, less lobed; flowers 3 to 4 mm. long; pods 4.8 to 9.6 cm. 
long, strictly deflexed or divaricate-spreading.—Open foothills, coastal 
S. Cal. and Coast Ranges. 

3. SISYMBRIUM L. 

Erect annuals with pinnatifid or finely dissected leaves (the base not 
clasping or auriculate). Flowers very small (1.5 to 2 mm. long), yellow. 
Sepals oblong or linear, equaling or exceeding the claws of the petals. 
Pod linear or oblong, terete or nearly so, more or less distinctly 3-nerved. 
(Greek sisumbrion, the ancient name for some plant of this family.) 


Pods subulate, closely appressed; seeds in 1 row.1. S. officinale. 

Pods oblong to linear, spreading; seeds in 2 rows.2. S. pinnatum. 


1. S. officinale (L.) Scop. Hedge Mustard. Roughish with short 
stiff hairs; stem erect, with widely diverging branches above, 5 to 11.5 
dm. high; leaves lyrately pinnatifid or pinnate, the segments dentate or 
coarsely toothed; pods 1.2 cm. long, tapering to summit, closely appressed 
to the axis of the raceme.—Naturalized weed, introduced from Europe. 

2. S. pinnatum (Walt.) Greene. Tansy Mustard. Stem 2.2 to 5.7 
dm. high; herbage finely ashy-tomentose; leaves pinnately or bipinnately 
dissected into thinnish and delicate small segments; petals 2 mm. long; 
pods oblong to linear, acute at each end, 6 to 12 mm. long, borne on 
spreading pedicels of equal or greater length.—Open country, coastal S. 
Cal. and e. and ne. 

4. RAPHANUS L. Radish 

Coarse much-branched herbs with lyrately pinnate or pinnatifid leaves 
or the uppermost merely toothed. Flowers large, purple, yellow, or 
white. Pod thick, beaked by the stout style, 1-celled, filled with spongy 
tissue, more or less constricted between the seeds and at last breaking 
into 1-seeded joints. (Greek raphanos, quick-appearing, on account of 
the prompt germination of the seeds.) 

1. R. sativus L. Radish. Plants 8 to 20 dm. high ; flowers about 16 
mm. broad.—Cult, from Eur., now naturalized in waste places. 

5. BRASSICA L. Mustard 

Annuals with lyrately pinnatifid or pinnate leaves (the upper disposed 




MUSTARD FAMILY 


41 


to be entire) and yellow flowers. Petals with long claw and abruptly 
spreading blade, 4 greenish glands alternating with the claws of the 
petals. Pod terete, ending in a stout beak. (The Latin name for cab¬ 
bage. ) 

Pods ascending on spreading pedicels. 

Stem leaves auriculate or cordate-clasping; beak terete. 

Leaves from the first more or less fleshy ; flowers creamy yellow. 

Leaves glabrous from the first.1. B. oleracea. 

First leaves hairy.2. B. campestris. 

Leaves thin and green ; flowers bright yellow ; root tuberous....3. B. rapa. 

Stem leaves petioled or merely sessile; beak flattish.4. B. arvensis. 

Pods closely appressed to the stem. 

Stems glabrous or nearly so ; pods somewhat quadrangular.5. B. nigra. 

Stems retrorse-hispidulose; pods terete.6. B. adpressa. 

1. B. oleracea L. Cabbage. Leaves from the first more or less fleshy 
and glaucous-blue; flowers large, 8 to 24 mm. long; pods large, long- 
beaked.—Native of Eur. Var. caulo-rapa DC. Kohlrabi. Stems tuber¬ 
ous above the roots, the tuber bearing the leaves.—Cult. Var. gemmifera 
DC. Brussels Sprouts. Stem tall, erect, the axillary buds developed into 
little heads.—Cult. Var. acephala DC. Kale. Leaves thick, tender, 
loose, not packed into heads.—Cult. Var. capitata L. Garden Cab¬ 
bage. Main axis short and thick, the leaves densely packed' into a 
gigantic bud or head; leaves plane, not blistered.—Cult. Var. bullata 
DC. Savoy Cabbage. Leaves packed into a head, blistered or puckered. 
—Cult. Var. botrytis L. Cauliflower. Flower-cluster condensed and 
thickened, forming a head.—Cult. 

2. B. campestris L. “Common Yellow Mustard”. Stem sparingly 
branched, 6 to 17 dm. high; herbage glaucous; basal leaves petioled; 
upper leaves all sessile and clasping by an auricled base; flowers 6 to 8 
mm. long; pods 3 to 3.6 cm. long, borne on spreading pedicels.—Culti¬ 
vated fields, nat. from Eur. Var. napo-brassica DC. Rutabaga. Root 
tuberous.—Cult. 

3. B. rapa L. Turnip. Leaves hairy, lyrate or interrupted below; 
flowers small; petals deciduous.—Cult, from Eur. 

4. B. arvensis (L.) B.S.P. Charlock. Stem 2.8 to 5.7 dm. high; 
herbage light green; leaves petioled or sessile by a narrow base, not 
clasping; pods ascending or erect, 2.4 to 3.6 cm. long.—Sparingly nat. 
from Eur. 

5. B. nigra (L.) Koch. Black Mustard. Stem 8.5 to 17 or 34. dm. 
high; herbage dark green: leaves all petioled; uppermost often linear, 
entire and hanging; petals 7 mm. long; pods 1.2 to 1.8 cm. long.—Culti¬ 
vated fields, nat. from Eur. It is a serious pest in grain fields. Even 
in uncultivated lands it may become so tall as to overtop both horse and 
rider, thus verifying the description in Matthew 4:31-32, it “shooteth out 
great branches so that the fowl of the air may lodge under the shadow 
of it.” (Matthew is a book in the Bible.) The seeds are medicinal and 
for this purpose Brassica nigra is cultivated as a crop plant in Santa 
Barbara Co. 

6. B. adpressa Boiss. Stems 4.3 to 8.6 dm. high; herbage hispidulose; 
leaves pinnately parted or the uppermost subentire.—Along the coast and 
spreading into the interior; an offensive weed, nat. from Eur. 







42 


CRUCIFERAE 


6 BARBAREA R. Br. 

Perennial herbs with lyrate or pinnatifid leaves. Flowers yellow. Pod 
linear, somewhat quadrangular, the valves strongly 1-nerved. (Named 
after St. Barbara.) 

1. B. vulgaris R. Br. Winter Cress. Stem erect, 2.4 to 3.8 dm. 
high ; herbage glabrous ; leaves with the terminal lobe largest and often 
oblong-lanceolate; petals about 6 mm. long; pods 3.6 cm. long.—Along 
streams in the hills or mountains. 

7. ERYSIMUM L. Wall-Flower 

Biennial or perennial herbs. Stem simple or with few branches. 
Leaves narrow, entire or toothed. Flowers.orange to light yellow. Pod 
linear, flattened or 4-sided. (Greek name of a garden plant.) 


Flowers orange; pods 4-sided; mountains.1. E. asperum . 

Flowers light yellow ; pods flattened ; coastal.2. E. capitatum. 


1. E. asperum DC. Western Wall-Flower. Stem 3 to 7 dm. high, 
rather densely clothed below with leaves ; herbage roughish-pubescent; 
lower leaves petioled, 7.2 to 14.4 cm. long, 4 to 12 mm. wide, the upper¬ 
most shorter; flowers 1.6 to 2 cm. broad; blade of petals broadly elliptic; 
pods 7.2 to 9.6 cm. long, 2 mm. wide.—Rocky places in the hills and moun¬ 
tains. The root was used medicinally by the native tribes. 

2. E. capitatum (Dougl.) Greene. Coast Wall-Flower. Stem 1.4 
to 4.3 dm. high, finely pubescent; flowers cream-color to yellowish, rarely 
white, at first in a head-like cluster, the axis in fruit elongating and be¬ 
coming a short raceme; pods 3.6 to 6 cm. long, nearly 4 mm. broad.— 
Sandy lands along the coast. 

8. ARABIS L. Rock Cress 

Annuals, biennials or perennials. Flowers rose-purple, white or yel¬ 
lowish white. Petals with narrow claw and flat blade. Pod flattened 
parallel to the partition. Valves more or less 1-nerved. (Name from 
the land Arabia.) 

1. A. glabra (L.) Bernh. Tower Mustard. Biennial; stem erect, 
simple, 4.7 to 11.5 dm. high; basal leaves broadly spatulate to narrow 
obovate, dentate, 3 to 10.8 cm. long; cauline leaves ovate to lanceolate, 
entire, clasping; flowers dull white; pods narrow, strictly erect, 7.2 to 
9.6 cm. long.— Foothills and mountains. 

9. CARDAMINE L. Bitter Cress 

Erect herbs with leafy stems. Leaves pinnate, the basal in a rosette. 
Flowers white or pinkish. Flowers smaller and pods narrower than in 
Dentaria. (Ancient Greek name of some species of cress.) 

1. C. oligosperma Nutt. Stems 7 to 30 cm. high; leaves 1.2 to 3.6 
cm. long, with 5 to 11 leaflets; petals much surpassing sepals; valves 
of pod separating while still green.—Openly wooded country, Coast 
Ranges from Monterey Co. n. 

10. DENTARIA L. Toothwort 

Glabrous perennials. Stem and 1 or 2 long-petioled leaves from a 
tuberous rootstock, the stems rarely branched and sparingly leafy. 
Flowers white or rose-tinted, appearing in early spring. Petals with 




MUSTARD FAMILY 


43 


slender claws and ovate limb. Sepals short. Pod linear, flattened. 
(Latin dens, a tooth, the rootstocks toothed in some species.) 

1. D. integrifolia Nutt. Milkmaids. Stem stoutish, 2.8 dm. high; 
leaves thickish, those from the rootstock simple or 3-foliolate; stem leaves 
3-foliolate; leaflets roundish to ovate or the upper lanceolate; flowers 
white, 1.2 cm. broad.—Valleys, especially in heavy or adobe soil.—Var. 
californica Jepson. Taller and more slender; leaves larger, thinnish, 
sometimes 5-foliolate; corolla white or pale rose-color.—Shady woods. 

11. RADICULA Hill 

Annuals or perennials, growing in water or wet places. Flowers 
small, white or yellow. Sepals spreading. Petals scarcely clawed. Pod 
linear or oblong, round or nearly so. Seeds minute, in 2 rows in each 
cell. (Diminutive of radix, radish.) 

Leaves divided ; stems diffuse or ascending. 

Petals white, nearly twice as long as the calyx.1. R. nasturtium-aquaticuiu. 

Petals yellow, little longer than the calyx.2. R. curvisiliqua . 

Leaves undivided or only the lower pinnatifid; petal white, much longer than the 
calyx ; steins erect...3. R. armoracia. 

1. R. nasturtium-aquaticum Britt. & Rendle. Water Cress. Stems 
ascending, prostrate at base and rooting at the nodes; herbage glabrous; 
leaflets or segments 3 to 9, ovate or roundish, the terminal one largest, 
or the lowest leaves simple ; pods widely spreading, 1.2 to 2.4 cm. long, 
on pedicels about as long.—Springs and slow-flowing creeks; nat. from 
Eur. The young plants are used as salad. 

2. R. curvisiliqua (Hook.) Greene. Western Yellow-Cress. 
Stems diffuse, 7.2 to 16.8 cm. long; herbage sparsely hairy; leaves pin¬ 
natifid or pinnately parted into many broad or narrow segments which 
vary from entire to pinnatifid; pods linear, terete, more or less curved, 
5 to 14 mm. long, borne on pedicels 1 to 3 mm. long.—Beds of flood 
streams and former vernal pools. 

3. R. armoracia Robins. Horse-Radish. Stout perennial, 5 to 8.5 
dm. high, from a deep hard root; basal leaves large, oblong, crenate or 
pinnatifid ; stem leaves lanceolate or linear, entire or toothed ; pods globu¬ 
lar.—Cult, from Eur.; escaped in moist places and along water courses. 
The root furnishes a well-known condiment. 

12. ALYSSUM L. 

Low branching herbs with narrow leaves and white or yellowish 
flowers. Filaments with teeth or glands at base. Pods small, orbicular, 
with 1 or 2 seeds in each cell. (Greek a, without, lussa, madness, in 
ancient times an antidote for hydrophobia.) 

Pubescence consisting of stellate hairs; pods narrowly margined, slightly emargi- 

nate above..L A. alyssoides. 

Pubescence consisting of simple appressed hairs; pods marginless, pointed. 

2. A. maritimum. 

1. A. alyssoides L. Small Alyssum. Annual; petals yellowish 
white, scarcely exceeding the sepals which persist about the base of the 
f ru it.—Cult, in gardens and sometimes occurring as an escape; native of 

Eur. . 

2. A. maritimum (L.) Lam. Sweet Alyssum. Perennial; petals 







44 


CARYOPHYLLACEAE 


white, twice as long as the deciduous sepals.—Cult, from Eur. in some 
places half-naturalized. 

13. CAPSELLA Medic. 

Slender annuals with pinnatifid leaves and small white flowers. Petals 
small, little exceeding the sepals. Pod inversely heart-shaped in ours, 
strongly flattened contrary to the partition. (Latin capsella, a little 
box.) 

1. C. bursa-pastoris Moench. Shepherd’s Purse. Stem simple or 
branching, 7 to 36 cm. high, sparsely hispid; basal leaves in a spreading 
rosette, all the lower petioled, the upper sessile by an auricled base; 
petals 2 mm. long or a little more; pods nearly or quite 6 mm. broad.— 
Nat. from Eur. in or about cult, places. 

14. LEPIDIUM L. Pepper-Grass 

Small annuals with toothed or pinnatifid leaves and small white or 
greenish flowers. Pod roundish, much flattened contrary to the narrow 
partition, notched or with two wings at apex. Greek lepidion, a little 
scale, in reference to the flattened pods.) 

1. L. nitidum Nutt. Tongue-grass. Simple or branching from the 
base, 2.4 to 24 cm. high; leaves 2.4 to 9.6 cm long, the lower pinnatifid, 
the upper entire; pedicels flattened; petals none.—Low hills and valleys 
in early spring. 

2. L. bipinnatifiduir Desv. Wayside Pepper-Grass. Plants often 
closely matting the ground, sometimes merely diffuse; leaves pinnatifid or 
bipinnatifid; racemes numerous, dense and narrow; pedicels very short; 
petals none.—Liard beaten soil of paths and roads. 

15. THYSANOCARPUS Hook. 

Slender erect annuals with mostly simple stems and minute white or 
purplish flowers. Sepals ovate, spreading. Petals spatulate. Ovary 
1-celled and 1-ovuled, becoming in fruit a pod with a broad circular wing, 
the wing with small holes or radiating nerves. (Greek thusanos, fringe, 
and karpos, fruit.) 

Leaves oblong-lanceolate, the basal forming a rosette, pinnatifid or toothed. 

1. T. curvipes. 

Leaves linear to oblong-linear, the basal entire or with divaricate salient seg¬ 
ments, not forming a rosette.2. T. laciniatus. 

1. T. curvipes Hook. Fringe-Pod. Stem 3 to 5 dm. high; leaves 
lanceolate or linear, all except the basal sessile; pods obovate or roundish, 
hairy or glabrous, 3 to 7 mm. long; wing narrow, rather crowded with 
broad nerves; pedicels recurved.—Open hills. Var. elegans Rob. Wing 
with large perforations between the rays.—Open hills*. 

2. T. laciniatus Nutt. Stems 1.9 to 3.6 dm. high; leaves linear, suben¬ 
tire or deeply pinnatifid; pods obovate, elliptic, or orbicular, reticulated, 
2 to 4 mm. long; pedicel spreading and deflexed.—Open hills, S. Cal. 
Cattlemen believe that the herbage gives a taint to the flesh of range 
cattle. 

CARYOPHYLLACEAE. PINK FAMILY 

Herbs with commonly swollen nodes and simple entire opposite leaves. 
Calyx 5-toothed or of 5 distinct sepals. Petals 5. Stamens 5 or 10, rarely 




PINK FAMILY 


45 


fewer. Ovary superior, 1-celled (rarely 3-celled), the ovules on a cen¬ 
tral placenta. Styles 2 to 5. Fruit a pod opening by valves or teeth at 
the summit, or 1-seeded and indehiscent.—Species 1200 to 1500, all parts 
of the earth. 

Sepals united into a 5-toothed calyx; petals with long claws; stamens 10; stipules 

none.1. Silene. 

Sepals distinct or nearly so ; petals without claws; stamens 10, 5, or fewer. 

Stipules none. 

Petals not entire. 

Petals retuse or bifid ; styles 5.2. Cerastium. 

Petals parted almost to base into 2 narrow segments ; styles 3 or 4 .... 

3. Stellaria. 

Petals entire ; styles 3.4. Arenaria. 

Stipules present, scarious ; petals entire. 

Styles 3 ; leaves opposite......5. Spergularia. 

Styles 5 ; leaves apparently whorled.6. Spergula. 

1. SILENE L. Catch-Fly. Campion 

Herbage more or less viscid. Flowers mostly large and showy. Calyx 
tubular or inflated. Summit of claw of petals commonly furnished with a 
scale or appendage. Stamens 10. Styles 3, rarely 4. Pod opening by 3 
or 6 teeth. (Greek sialon, saliva, the stem and other parts viscid.) 

Annuals; flowers in a 1-sided raceme; petal blades more or less twisted. 

1. S. gallic a. 

Perennials; flowers in an open or narrow panicle ; petal blades plane. 

Corolla crimson ; petal claws not woolly ; flowers in an open panicle. 

Corolla 2.4 to 3.6 cm. broad.2. S. californica. 

Corolla 1.2 to 1.8 cm. broad.3. N. laciniata. 

Corolla rose-color, 1.2 to 1.8 cm. broad; petals 2 cleft, the claws woolly: 

flowers in a spike-like panicle.4. .S’. verecunda. 

1. S. gallica L. Windmill Pink. Erect, simple or branched from 
the base, 2.4 to 3.6 dm. high; herbage hairy; leaves spatulate-obovate; 
flowers in a mostly 1-sided raceme; petals white or pink, entire; ovary 
almost completely 3-celled.—Very common weed nat. from Eur. 

2. S. califomica Dur. Indian Pink. Stems several from a deep 
tap-root, erect or half-erect or reclining amongst bushes, leafy, 1.5 to 10 
dm. long; leaves elliptic-ovate to oblanceolate, more or less acuminate, 2.4 
to 7 cm. long; corolla scarlet; petals cleft, the segments bifid and toothed, 
or the lateral small and entire; ovary sessile.—Cent, and n. Cal. 

3. S. laciniata Cav. Stems 5.7 to 14 dm. high ; leaves linear- to oblong- 
lanceolate, or sometimes oblanceolate; flowers bright scarlet; blade of 
petals 4-cleft, the lobes again cleft or the lateral reduced to small teeth; 
ovary on a stipe.—S. Cal. n. to Monterey Co. 

4. S. verecunda Wats. Stems several from a thick taproot, 2.8 to 3.6 
dm. high, leafy, especially at base; basal leaves oblong- or linear-lanceo¬ 
late, petioled, the upper smaller, sessile or less distinctly petioled; petals 
rose-red, the blade cleft to the middle into entire or toothed lobes.—Cent, 
and S. Cal. 

2. CERASTIUM L. Mouse-ear Chickweed 

Pubescent herbs. Flowers white, in dichotomous cymes. Petals retuse 
or bifid. Stamens 10 or 5. Styles 5. Pod elongated, cylindric, often 
curved, usually exceeding the calyx, opening at summit by 10 teeth. 
(Greek keras, a horn, in allusion to the elongated curved capsules.) 











46 


CARYOPHYLLACEAE 


Petals shorter than or about equaling the sepals. l.C. viscosum. 

Petals twice as long as the sepals.2. C. arvense. 


1. C. viscosum L. Mouse-Ear Chickweed. Erect annual 7.2 to 9.6 
cm. high; leaves ovate to elliptic-oblong, slightly joined at base, 1.2 to 
2.4 cm. long; petals oblong, bifid at apex, 4 mm. long; stamens 10 or only 
5 with anthers; pod much exceeding the calyx.—Fields and roadsides, 
native of Eur. 

2. C. arvense L. Field Chickweed. Perennial; stems several, 1.2 
to 2.1 dm. long; leaves linear, acute, 2.4 to 3.6 cm. long, the lowermost 
but half as long; petals deeply notched; pod scarcely exceeding calyx. — 
Near the coast, San Francisco and n. 

3. STELLARIA L. Chickweed 

Low herbs. Flowers white, small. Petals 5, parted almost to the base 
into 2 narrow segments. Stamens 3 to 10. Styles 3 or 4. Pod ovoid or 
oblong, opening from the apex bv as manv pr twice as many valves as 
there are styles. (Latin Stella, a star, the flowers star-shaped.) 

1. S. media Cyrill. Common Chickweed. Stems slightly succulent, 
weak and procumbent; lower leaves ovate, acute, petioled, the upper nar¬ 
rower, sessile; pedicels slender, turned downward in fruit; bracts folia- 
ceous; petals shorter than the sepals; stamens 10, 5, or 3.—Half-shady 
places, common naturalized weed from Asia. 

2. S. nitens Nutt. Slender Chickweed. Stems erect, filiform, 
branching above, 7 to 17 cm. high; leaves linear, acute, sessile, 4 to 14 
mm. long, or the lowest ovate, 2 to 6 mm. long, abruptly contracted into 
slender petioles nearly twice as long; bracts scarious; petals half as long 
as the sepals, sometimes none.—Grassy hillsides and plains. 

4. ARENARIA L. Sandwort 

Low branching annuals or tufted or prostrate perennials. Leaves most¬ 
ly lanceolate or subulate, sessile, often rigid. Flowers white. Petals en¬ 
tire. Stamens 10. Styles 3. Pod globose or short oblong, opening by 3 
entire or cleft valves. (Latin arena, sand, in which many species grow.) 

1. A. californica Brew. Glabrous delicate annual 2.4 to 9.5 cm. high, 
diffusely branching from the base; leaves lanceolate, rather broad at 
base, slightly fleshy, 2 to 4 mm. long; petals oblong, \y 2 times as long 
as the sepals.—Gravelly hill slopes or disintegrating rock outcroppings. 

2. A. douglasii Fenzl. Annual; stems much branched, 4.8 to 14.5 cm. 
high; herbage glabrous or viscid-glandular; leaves filiform, 8 to 10 mm. 
long; petals obovate, 4 mm. long, exceeding the narrow sepals.—Sterile 
hillside soils. 

5. SPERGULARIA J. & C. Presl. Sand Spurrey 

Low herbs. Leaves linear or subulate-filiform, semi-terete, with scari¬ 
ous stipules. Sepals 5. Petals 5, white, pink or reddish, entire. Stamens 
commonly 10. Styles 3, rarely 5. Pod 3-valved. Seeds often wing- 
margined. (Derivative of Spergula.) 

Perennials. 

Erect or ascending, more or less succulent, with fleshy fusiform roots. 

1. .S. macrotheca. 

Prostrate, not obviously succulent; roots fibrous, not fleshy. 

Stems long and somewhat straggling, from a matted or tufted center, 
flowering from the middle to the end of the branches..2. S. rubra. 





AMARANTHACEAE 


47 


Plants matted ; flowering mostly at end of branches.3. S. clevelandi. 

Annuals ; quite erect or ascending. :A. S. salina. 


1. S. macrotheca (Hornem.) Heynh. Stems several, erect or ascend¬ 
ing ; herbage deep green and often viscid-pubescent; leaves narrowly 
linear, 2.4 to 3.6 cm. long; petals 6 to 8 mm. long, pink.—Sandy borders 
of salt marshes. Var. leucantha Jepson. Mostly glabrous; flowers 
white.—Alkaline plains of the interior. Var. scariosa (Britt.) Rob. 
Herbage pale; internodes short.—Sea-bluffs. 

2. S. rubra (L.) J. & C. Presl. var. perrennans Greene. Stems pros¬ 
trate, long, slender and wiry, many from a matted or tufted center, 
branching little; leaves narrowly linear, 3 to 10 mm. long; stipules sil- 
very-scarious, conspicuous; petals reddish, 4 mm. long, about equaling 
the sepals.—Beaten paths and old roadways; nat. from Eur. 

3. S. clevelandi (Greene) Rob. Stems prostrate, forming deep green 
mats 12 to 31 cm. broad; herbage viscid-glandular; leaves filiform, con¬ 
spicuously fascicled in the axils, all longer than the internodes; flowers 
in terminal cymes; corolla white, 6 to 8 mm. broad.—Sandy soil, San 
Francisco to San Diego. 

4. S. salina J. & C. Presl. Mostly erect, branching, 7 to 19 cm. high; 
leaves narrowly linear, commonly shorter than the internodes; petals 
pink, 2 to 3 mm. long, shorter than the sepals; pod longer than the 
sepals.—Alkaline plains. 

6. SPERGULA L. Spurrey 

Diffusely branching annuals. Leaves narrowly linear or sub-terete, 
apparently in whorls but really opposite, several others of their own size 
being crowded in the axils. Stipules small and scarious. Petals white, 
entire. Stamens 10, occasionally 5. Styles 5. Pod 5-valved. (Latin 
spargere, to scatter, in reference to the dispersion of the seeds.) 

1. S. arvensis L. Corn Spurrey. Stems 2.8 to 5.7 dm. long; hairs 
short, glandular; flowers in a cymose panicle with strongly divergent 
branches; corolla 8 mm. broad.—Fields and orchards; weed nat. from 
Eur. 


AMARANTHACEAE. AMARANTH FAMILY 

Ours coarse herbs with simple entire leaves. Flowers usually greenish, 
inconspicuous, perfect or unisexual, in ours congested in spikes or clus¬ 
ters. Corolla none. Stamens 5, sometimes fewer. Ovary superior, 1- 
celled, with 2 or 3 stigmas. Fruit a utricle.—About 550 species, mostly 
tropical, none in the cold zones. 

1. AMARANTHUS L. A MARANTH 
Annual weeds with alternate leaves. Flowers bracteate, usually mo¬ 
noecious or polygamous, rarely dioecious. Seed mostly black and shining. 
(Greek a-, not, and maraino, to fade, the spikes of certain species re¬ 
taining their color in drying.) 

Flowers in dense stout terminal and axillary spikes ; sepals 5, mostly unequal. 

1. A. retroflexus. 

Flowers in small axillary clusters of short spikes; sepals 3, subequal. 

2. A. graecizans. 

1. A. retroflexus L. Rough Pigweed. Stoutish, with erect or as- 






48 


CHENOPODIACEAE 


cending branches, 3 to 11.5 dm. high; herbage roughish-pubescent; 
leaves petioled, 2.4 to 7.2 cm. long; utricle wrinkled, surpassed by the 
sepals.—Very common in orchards, gardens and waste lands; nat. from 
trop. Am. 

2. A. graecizans L. Tumble-weed. Bushy in outline, rigidly 
branched, 3 to 9 dm. high; herbage glabrous or nearly so; leaves 8 to 
16 mm. long.—Summer weed; extremely abundant in cultivated fields; 
nat. from trop. Am. The plant becomes rigid when dead and dry, and, 
when loosened by fall winds, is carried across the field as a tumble-weed, 
the seeds being thus most effectively dispersed. 

CHENOPODIACEAE. GOOSEFOOT FAMILY 

Herbs or shrubs, often succulent or scurfy, leafy or leafless. Flowers 
small, perfect or unisexual. Calyx 5 (or 4)-lobed. Stamens commonly 
5. Ovary superior, 1-celled, 1-ovuled. Styles or stigmas 2 or 3. Fruit 
an achene or utricle.—Species about 550, mostly of alkaline deserts or 
steppes or salt marshes. 

Leaves never spiny : embryo annular or curved or folded. 

Steins with foliaceous leaves. 

Flowers perfect, all of one kind. 

Calyx with a fleshy disk at base, the ovary partly sunk in it—1. .Beta. 

Calyx without disk, 5 (or 4)-parted, herbaceous or fleshy in fruit. 

2. Chenopodium. 

Flowers unisexual, of 2 kinds, the staminate with calyx, the pistillate with¬ 


out calyx and enclosed by 2 appressed bracts.3. Atriplex. 

Stems fleshy, jointed, with the leaves reduced to mere scales : flowers perfect 
or unisexual. 4. Salicornia. 


Leaves dry, rigid or spiny; flowers perfect; embryo spirally coiled....5. Salsola. 

1. BETA L. 

Glabrous biennial herbs. Roots fleshy. Leaves alternate, the lower 
long-petioled. Flowers in sessile axillary clusters, the clusters in panicled 
spikes. Stamens 5. Styles 2 or 3. (Perhaps Celtic bett, red, on account 
of the color of the root.) 

1. B. vulgaris L. Beet. Stems 5.8 to 17 dm. high; root conical; 
lower leaves 9.6 to 24 cm. long, oblong or ovate, the upper smaller.— 
Garden plant, native of Eur.; also naturalized in marshes. Var. crassa 
Alef. Sugar Beet. Roots very thick, sugar-producing.—Cult, crop plant. 
Var. cruenta Alef. Leaves large and showily colored.—Used for garden 
bedding. Var. cicla Moq. Chard. Leaf Beet. Spinach Beet. Leaves 
thick-ribbed.—Used as a pot-herb. 

2. CHENOPODIUM L. Goosefoot. Pigweed 

Annual or perennial herbs often white-mealy or glandular. Leaves 
alternate, petioled. Flowers greenish, sessile, clustered. Stamens 5 or 
fewer. Ovary depressed. Styles 2, rarely 3 or 4, slender. (Greek chen, 
goose, and pous, foot, on account of the shape of the leaves.) 

Annual; calyx‘deeply parted into lobes or segments. 

Herbage finely mealy, at least not pubescent or glandular; achene with the 
pericarp closely persistent on the seed. 

Erect; herbage light green.1. C. album. 

Diffuse; herbage dark green.,.„2. C. murale. 







GOOSEFOOT FAMILY 


49 


Herbage glandular-pubescent and aromatic, but not mealy; flower clusters 
spicate or paniculate. 

Leaves slender-petioled; achene imperfectly enclosed by calyx; spikes 

cymose-diverging, leafless .3. C. botrys. 

Leaves slightly petioled; achene perfectly enclosed by calyx. 

4. C. ambrosioides. 

Perennial; calyx merely toothed or cleft, more distinctly synsepalous; achene 
exserted; spike terminal, leafless or leafy only below....5. C. califoricum. 

1. C. album L. White Goosefoot. Pigweed. Stems 5.8 to 11.5 dm. 
high; leaves rhombic-ovate, 2.4 to 4.8 cm. long; flowers clustered in close 
spikes; calyx in fruit about 1.5 mm. wide.—Common European weed in 
old fields. Also known as Lambs Quarters, the herbage making excel¬ 
lent boiled greens when taken young. Var. viride. Moq. Leaves bright 
green on both sides, or only slightly mealy beneath; inflorescence less 
dense.—Not so common. 

2. C. murale L. Sowbane. Nettle-leaf Goosefoot. Stout and suc¬ 
culent, the loose branches 2 to 3.6 dm. long : leaves rhombic-ovate, 2.4 to 
4.2 cm. long; flowers in dense axillary or terminal spicate panicles; pan¬ 
icles leafless or nearly so.—Nat. from Eur.; a common weed in waste 
places, winter flowering. 

3. C. botrys L. Jerusalem Oak. Erect, often widely branching, 1.4 
to 5.8 dm. high; leaves ovate to oblong, 1.2 to 3.6 cm. long.—Waste places 
near dwellings and in flood stream beds; nat. from Eur. 

4. C. ambrosioides L. Mexican Tea. Erect, 5.8 to 10 dm. high ; leaves 
oblong or lanceolate, 4.8 to 12 cm. long; flowers in axillary clusters, form¬ 
ing a dense leafy spike; styles 3, sometimes 4.—Abundant along interior 
streams and near salt marshes. Nat. from trop. Am.; mostly autumnal. 
Var. anthelminticum Gray. Wormseed. Spikes more elongated, leafless, 
—With the species. The seeds are used as an anthelmintic. 

5. C. californicum Wats. Soap Plant. Stout, erect or decumbent 
at base, 4.3 to 7 dm. high; root large, carrot-like; leaves broadly tri¬ 
angular, 3.6 to 8.4 cm. long.—Stream beds and moist slopes or swales in 
open foothills. The root is grated on a rock by the native tribes and 
used as a soap. 

3. ATRIPLEX L. Saltbush 

Herbs or shrubs, usually mealy or scurfy. Flowers monoecious or 
dioecious. Styles 2. Bracts either free or united, much enlarged in fruit. 
(The ancient Latin name.) 

Annuals; somewhat succulent and mealy ; leaves petioled. 

Leaves mostly lanceolate; fruiting bracts 8 to 12 mm. long.1. A. patula. 

Leaves triangular-hastate or deltoid ; fruiting bracts 3 to 4 mm. long. 

2. A. hastata. 

Perennials; not succulent, commonly white-scurfy ; fruiting bracts red.. 

3. A. semibaccata. 

1. A. patula L. Spear Orache. Stout, erect, 2.4 to 4.3 dm. high; in¬ 
florescence more or less leafy at base.—Common in salt marshes along 
the coast. 

2. A. hastata L. Fat-Hen. Rather slender, with ascending branches 
3 to 7 dm. long; leaves 2.4 to 4.8 cm. long; flowers in dense terminal and 
lateral spikes 2.4 to 9.6 cm. long.—Common in salt marshes near the 
coast. 







50 


NYCTAGINACEAE 


3. A. semibaccata R. Br. Australian Saltbush. Diffusely spread¬ 
ing, the stems 5.8 to 8.6 dm. long, woody below; leaves oblong, 1.2 to 
4.8 cm. long; fruiting bracts rhomboidal, acute, 4 to 6 mm. long.—Cult, 
from Austr. as a forage plant and becoming spontaneous. 

4. SALICORNIA L. Samphire. Glasswort 

Low succulent herbs with opposite terete branches. Flowers in op¬ 
posite clusters of 3, forming a cylindrical spike. Stamens 2, exserted in 
flower. Ovary oblong; styles 2 or 3, short. (Latin sal, salt, and cornu, 
horn, plants of saline habitat with horn-like branches.) 

1. S. ambigua Michx. Pickle-Weed. Stems erect, or decumbent and 
rooting at the joints, 1 to 3 dm. long; spike slender, about 3 mm. thick, 
all the scales flower-bearing to the top.—Salt marshes along the coast. 

5. SALSOLA L. 

Bushy-branching herbs. Flowers sessile and axillary, each subtended 
by 3 spinescent organs (a bract and 2 bractlets). Stamens 5. Styles 2. 
(Diminutive of Latin salsus, salty, most of the species of saline habi¬ 
tats.) 

1. S. kali L. var. tenuifolia G. F. N. Mey. Russian Thistle. Bushy 
annual, 3 to 11.5 dm. high; young leaves prickle-tipped; branches flower¬ 
ing from near the base; bracts ovate, prickly pointed.—Obnoxious farm 
weed, native of Asia. 

NYCTAGINACEAE. FOUR-O’CLOCK FAMILY 

Succulent herbs with opposite entire leaves and swollen joints. Flowers 
delicate. Involucre subtending 1 to many flowers, its bracts distinct or 
united and calyx-like. Corolla none. Calyx tubular, corolla-like, 4 to 
5-lobed, its base hardening over the 1-celled 1 -seeded superior ovary, form¬ 
ing a pericarp-like covering to the achene. Stamens commonly 5.—Spe¬ 
cies 160, mostly tropical, especially in the New World. 


Involucre of distinct bracts; fruit usually winged.1. Abronia. 

Involucre calyx-like, 5-toothed; fruit not winged.2. Mirabilis. 


1. ABRONIA Juss. 

Peduncles axillary or terminal, bearing a many-flowered head subtended 
by 5 to 15 distinct involucral bracts. Calyx salver-form. Calyx-base 3 
to S-w'inged. (Greek abros, graceful.) 

1. A. latifolia Esch. Yellow Sand-Verbena. Stems stout, prostrate; 
leaves ovate to roundish, truncate or kidney-shaped at base; calyx yellow. 
1.2 cm. long; fruit very large, its wings thick, the central cavity extending 
through them.—Seashore sands. 

2. A. umbellata Lam. Purple Sand-Verbena. Stems slender, pros¬ 
trate; leaves roundish-ovate to oblong; calyx rose-purple, 1.2 to 1.6 dm. 
long; lobes 5, emarginate; wings of the smaller fruit thin but solid.— 
Seashore sands. 

2. MIRABILIS L. Four-o’clock 

Involucre calyx-like, 5-cleft or -parted, 1 to several-flowered. Calyx red¬ 
dish purple, tubular or funnelform with spreading limb. Stamens united 
at base.- Fruit smooth or obscurely ridged. (Latin mirabilis, wonderful.) 

1. M. multiflora Gray. Diffuse plants 7.2 to 14.4 cm. high; leaves 




PORTULACACEAE 


51 


ovate or ovate-lanceolate; involucre 3 to several-flowered; calyx about 
2.4 cm. long.—S. Cal. 

2. M. laevis (Benth.) Curran. Wishbone Bush. Stems ascending; 
leaves round-ovate to cordate; involucre 1 to 3-flowered; calyx about 1 
cm. long.—S. Cal. 

AIZOACEAE. CARPET-WEED FAMILY 

Ours prostrate or decumbent herbs. Flowers perfect and regular, soli¬ 
tary or clustered.—Species about 450, all continents. 

1. MESEMBRYANTHEMUM L. Fig Marigold. Ice-Plant 

Our herbs. Stems and leaves very succulent. Flowers axillary and 
terminal. Calyx-tube adnate to the ovary. Petals linear, numerous, in¬ 
serted with the numerous stamens on the tube of the calyx. (Greek 
mesembria, mid-day, and anthemon, blossom.) 

1. M. aequilaterale Haw. Sea Fig. Stems 1 to 2 m. long, the plants 
forming extensive mats; leaves 3-sided, 3.6 to 4.8 cm. long; flowers fra¬ 
grant and showy ; petals bright rose-purple.—Dunes and cliffs near the 
sea. 


PORTULACACEAE. PURSLANE FAMILY 

Low herbs with more or less fleshy entire leaves and regular flowers. 
Sepals 2. Petals commonly 5. Stamens 3 to 20. Ovary superior, 1-celled. 
Style-branches commonly 3. Fruit a capsule, 3-valved or opening by a 
lid.—About 150 species in the warmer dry and arid regions. 

Capsule 2 or 3-valved. 

Style 1, stigmas 2; sepals plane...1. Calyptridium. 

Style branches 3 ; sepals more or less concave. 

Flowers in leafy racemes ; petals commonly red, showy ; stamens mostly 
5 or more ; seeds numerous....2. Calandrinia. 

Flowers in naked or bracteate racemes ; petals white or pinkish ; stamens 

5 (or 3) ; seeds few (3 to 6).3. Montia. 

Capsule circumscissile. 

Sepals 2 to 8, distinct and free from the ovary, persistent.4. Lewisia. 

Sepals 2, united below and partly adherent to the ovary, the free upper portion 
deciduous ... 5. Portulaca. 

1. CALYPTRIDIUM Nutt. 

Herbs with alternate or basal leaves and small flowers in panicles or 
in solitary or clustered scorpioid spikes. Stamens 1, 2 or 3. Seeds few 
to many. (Greek kaluptra, a calyptra, the petals closing over each other 
and carried up on the capsule.) 

1. C. umbellatum (Torr.) Greene. Pussy Paws. Stems several, 
scape-like, 7 to 36 cm. high, arising from a dense rosette of spatulate 
leaves; cauline leaves few and similar or none; spikes in a terminal 
umbel or whorl; petals enfolding the 3 stamens, the fourth stamen en¬ 
folding the style.—Fine gravelly or sandy soil, open places in the moun¬ 
tains. 

2. CALANDRINIA H. B. K. 

Low fleshy annuals with alternate leaves. Flowers red (rarely white), 
lasting but one day. Stamens 7 to 13, rarely fewer. Seeds numerous, 
black and shining. (J. L. Calandrini, Swiss botanist.) 







52 


PORTULACACEAE 


1. C. caulescens H. B. K. var. menziesii Gray. Red Maids. Kisses. 
Branching from the base, 4.8 to 43 cm. high; leaves narrowly oblanceo- 
late or linear; petals roundish-obovate, notched at apex, 6 to 8 mm. long; 
pod enveloped by the persistent sepals.—Orchards, vineyards and open 
hills. 

3. MONTIA L. Indian Lettuce 

Somewhat succulent very glabrous herbs with clustered stems and 
mostly basal leaves. Flowers white or pink, usually reopening the sec¬ 
ond or third day, borne in terminal racemes or umbels. Petals equal or 
somewhat unequal, distinct or slightly united at base, commonly emargi- 
nate at apex. Seeds 1 to 3. (Giuseppe Monti, Italian botanist, died 
1760.) 

Leaves basal or opposite. 

Stems bearing 1 pair of leaves, these opposite. 

Cauline pair of leaves quite distinct; pedicels 1.2 to 4.8 cm. long; 

perennial .1. M. sibirica. 

Cauline pair of leaves more or less united ; annuals. 

Cauline pair of leaves united into a disk; petals little longer than the 
sepals.2. M. perfoliata. 

Cauline pair of leaves not forming a disk, partially joined on one 
side ; petals 3 times as long as the sepals....3. M. spathulata . 

Stems bearing several pairs of opposite leaves ; perennial by bulblets. 

4. M. chamissoi. 

Leaves alternate ; perennial by stolons or bulblets.. 5. M. parvifolia. 

1. M. sibirica (L.) Howed. Stems 2.1 to 4.3 dm. high; basal leaves 
ovate on long petioles, the pair beneath the raceme ovate or almost round, 
distinct, sessile or rarely short-petioled; flowers on pedicels 2.4 to 6 cm. 
long; petals pink.—Swampy places along the coast. 

2. M. perfoliata (Donn) Howell. Miner’s Lettuce. Stems 7.2 to 
34 cm. high; basal leaves long-petioled, the earliest linear, the later ones 
with ovate, rhomboidal or deltoid blade; pair beneath the raceme com¬ 
pletely united into a round and entire or angulately lobed disk which is 
1.2 to 9.6 cm. broad; petals white.—Shade of trees in openly wooded coun¬ 
try in the hills or valleys. 

3. M. spathulata Howell. Caespitose, 2.4 to 14 cm. high; herbage 
glaucous and very fleshy; leaves linear or lanceolate; cauline leaves par¬ 
tially joined on one side; petals white or light pink.—Open gravelly or 
rocky hilltops, Coast Ranges. 

4. M. chamissoi Dur. & Jac. Stems ascending or decumbent, rooting 
at the lower nodes, 9.6 to 14 cm. long, the plants perennial by bulblets 
produced at the end of slender runners; leaves opposite, mostly narrowly 
oblong, 1.2 to 4.8 cm. long, petioled; racemes axillary; pedicels recurved 
after flowering; petals pink or white, 3 times as long as the sepals.—Wet 
places in the mountains. 

5. M. parvifolia (Moc.) Greene. Stems very slender, almost whip¬ 
like, 1.2 to 2.6 dm. high, several from a Sedum-like rosette; leaves fleshy, 
the lowest ovate or rhombic, 1.2 cm. long, petioled, the upper few, small, 
narrow, and sessile; upper axils producing fleshy bulblets which fall 
away readily; racemes terminal; sepals 2 mm. long; petals rose-color 
varying to white, 6 to 10 mm. long.—Springs and wet places, coast from 
Monterey Co. n. and Sierra Nevada. 






FRANKENIACEAE 


53 


4. LEWISIA Pursh 

Fleshy perennials with thick roots and 1 to many-flowered scapes, the 
leaves in a basal rosette. Flowers often large and handsome. Petals 5 
to 16, varying from white to red. Stamens 5 to numerous. Seeds several 
to many. (Capt. Lewis of the Lewis & Clarke expedition across the 
continent, 1806-7, who collected the type species.) 

1. L. rediviva Pursh. Bitter Root. Scapes 1.8 to 4.8 cm. high, 
jointed near the middle and bearing an involucral whorl of 5 to 7 scari- 
ous bracts; leaves linear, thick; petals pink, rose, or white; stamens 40 
to 47; filaments united at base.—Montane. 

5. PORTULACA L. 

Fleshy herbs with alternate leaves and yellow flowers. Calyx 2-cleft, 
the tube adnate to the ovary below. Petals 5, inserted with the stamens 
on the calyx. Stamens 7 to 20. Seeds many. (Old Latin name.) 

1. P. oleracea L. Common Purslane. Stems 9 to 19 cm. long; herb¬ 
age glabrous * leaves cuneate or obovate; flowers sessile, opening only in 
sunshine; petals notched or 2-lobed.—Low lands. 

FRANKENIACEAE. FRANKENIA FAMILY 

Low perennial herbs or dwarf bushes, with opposite entire leaves and 
complete flowers. Ovary superior, 1-celled, with 2 to 4 parietal pla¬ 
centae, becoming a 2 to 4-valved pod.—Species about 34, all continents. 

FRANKENIA L. 

Leaves small, crowded in the axils. Flowers sessile, either solitary or 
by the reduction of the upper leaves becoming somewhat cymose. Calyx 
tubular, 4 or 5-toothed. Petals 4 or 5. Stamens 4 to 7, exserted. Style 
3-cleft. (John Franke, Swedish professor at Upsala.) 

1. F. grandifolia C. & S. Alkali-heath. Erect or diffuse, 9.6 to 31 
cm. high; leaves obovate to linear-oblanceolate, 6 to 12 mm. long; petals 
small, pinkish.—Seashore, salt marshes and (var. campestris Gray) on 
alkaline plains. 

SALICACEAE. WILLOW FAMILY 

Trees or shrubs, generally growing along streams, with alternate entire 
or merely toothed leaves and staminate and pistillate flowers in catkins on 
different plants, 1 flower to each bract. Stamens 2 to 80. Ovary 1-celled. 
Fruit a pod, containing numerous seeds with long silky down.—Species 
about 180, mostly in the north temperate and arctic zones. 

Bracts of the catkin entire; stamens 1 to 9 ; buds with a single scale.1. Salix. 

Bracts of the catkin cut-lobed at apex; stamens numerous; buds with many 
scales . 2. Populus. 

1. SALIX L. Willow 

Leaves mostly narrow, long-pointed, short-petioled. Catkins mostly 
erect, appearing before or with the leaves. Stigmas short. (Ancient 
Latin name of the willow.) 

Filaments of the stamens woolly or hairy below. 

Stamens 3 to 9; style short; stigmas roundish ; trees, the trunk bark very 
rough. 




54 


SALICACEAE. 


Petioles with wart-like glands at summit; stipules usually present.. 

1. S. lasiandra. 

Petioles not glandular; stipules often absent. 

Leaves broadly lanceolate, usually glaucous beneath....2, S. laevigata. 
Leaves very narrow, nearly alike on both faces, often curving 


towards apex.3. S. nigra. 

Stamens 2; large shrubs, the trunk bark mostly smooth. 

Stigmas linear, raised on a distinct style.4. S. sessilifolia. 

Stigmas roundish, oblong, sessile or nearly so. 5. S. melanopsis. 

Filaments of the stamens glabrous or mainly so ; stamens 2 ; trunk bark smooth or 
slightly roughened. 

Style none ; leaves obovate...6. 5. scouleriana. 

Style conspicuous or at least evident. 

Capsule silky or pubescent...7. S. sitchensis. 

Capsule essentially glabrous.8. 5“. lasiolepis. 


1. S. lasiandra Benth. Yellow Willow. Tree 8 to 14 m. high; 
branchlets yellowish; leaves lanceolate, long-pointed, often pale or glau¬ 
cous beneath; stipules broad, mostly conspicuous; catkins straight; sta¬ 
mens 5 to 9.—Coast Range streams. 

2. S. laevigata Bebb. Red Willow. Tree 8 to 15 m. high; branchlets 
reddish; mature leaves lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate, green and shining 
above, pale or glaucous beneath; staminate catkins often flexuous; sta¬ 
mens 5 or 6.—Coast Range streams. 

3. S. nigra Marsh var. vallicola Dudley. Black Willow. Tree 6 to 
10 rn. high; mature leaves lanceolate or linear-lanceolate, long-pointed, 
often somewhat sickle-shaped, green on both surfaces; stamens 3 to 5.— 
Great Valley to S. Cal. 

4. S. sessilifolia Nutt. var. hindsiana And. Sandbar Willow. Shrub 
1.4 to 4 m. high; leaves linear, entire, thinly villous and green, or densely 
villous and silky; catkins slender.—Flood beds of streams. It is an im¬ 
portant species in binding stream banks and levees against flood erosion. 

5. S. melanopsis Nutt. var. bolanderiana Schn. Longleaf Willow. 
Shrub 1.4 to 4.3 m. high ; leaves lanceolate or linear, remotely serrulate, 
mostly glabrous; catkin scales densely woolly.—Stream beds in valleys and 
foothills and into the mountains. 

6. S. scouleriana Barr.- Nuttall Willow. Shrub or small tree 2 to 
7 m. high; leaves broadly obovate or oblong-obovate, entire, yellow-green 
and lustrous above, yellow-veined, glabrate or densely short-silky be¬ 
neath; catkins appearing before the leaves.—Hill slopes, low'altitudes 
near the coast, 4000 to 10,000 ft. in the higher mountains. 

7. S. sitchensis Sanson. Velvet Willow. Trees or shrubs 4 to 10 m. 
high; leaves oblong-ovate to oblanceolate, lustrous silky beneath, dark 
green and glabrous above, sometimes thick and leathery; pistillate cat¬ 
kins very slender, in flower 1.8 to 4.8 cm. long—Stream banks near the 
coast. 

8. S. lasiolepis Benth. Arroyo Willow. Trees or shrubs 3 to 5 m. 
high; trunk bark mostly smooth; mature leaves oblong, obscurely ser¬ 
rulate, dull green above, grayish beneath; catkins densely silky-tomen- 
tose, in flower 1.8 to 2.4 cm. long.—Rivers and creeks, and even along dry 
gulches in the hills. 

2. POPULUS L. Poplar 

Leaves broad, ovate or roundish, long-petioled. Catkins pendulous. 









POLYGONACEAE 


55 


appearing before the leaves. Stamens inserted on a concave, often oblique 
disk. Ovary borne in a cup-shaped disk. Stigmas 2 to 4, dilated or 
linear. (Classical Latin name of the poplar.) 

L P. fremonti Wats. Common Cottonwood. Trees 8 to 14 m. high 
with a broad crown; leaves deltoid or roundish, broader than long, yel¬ 
lowish-green, alike on both faces, the margin crenate except at the ab¬ 
ruptly pointed apex and somewhat heart-shaped or truncate base; sta¬ 
mens 60 to 80.—Interior creeks and rivers. The wood is used by desert 
settlers for fencing, and is sometimes sawn into box shook for fruit and 
other shipments. 

2. P. trichocarpa T. & G. Black Cottonwood. Tree 5 to 8 m. high; 
leaves ovate, longer than broad, serrulate, dark green and shining above, 
rusty or silvery beneath; stamens 40 to 60.—Along streams. 

POLYGONACEAE. BUCKWHEAT FAMILY 

Herbs or somewhat woody plants with entire leaves. Stipules none or 
present in the form of sheaths above the swollen joints of the stem. 
Flowers small, often borne in an involucre. Calyx 3 to 6-cleft. Corolla 
none. Stamens 4 to 9. Ovary superior, 1-celled, becoming an achene 
which is commonly 3-angled.—About 700 species, mostly in the north 
temperate zone. 

Leaves with sheathing stipules ; involucre none. 

Sepals 5, equal and erect in fruit. 

Leaves elliptical to lanceolate or linear.1. Polygonum. 

Leaves triangular-cordate or sagittate.2. Fagopyrum. 

Sepals 6, unequal, the inner row erect and enlarging in fruit, the outer row 
reflexed in fruit. 

Sepals of 2 kinds.3. Rumex. 

Sepals all alike, withering-persistent under the 3-winged fruit..4. Rheum. 
Leaves without stipules; involucre present. 

Involucre bract-like, 1-flowered, enlarged in fruit, 2-lobed, 2-saccate on back; 

leaves opposite, broad...5. Pterostegia. 

Involucre tubular or top-shaped : leaves alternate or in whorls, or mostly basal. 

Involucre 5 to 6-toothed, the teeth spine-tipped, often hooked. 

6. Chorizanthe. 

Involucre 3 to 8-toothed, the teeth not bristle-tipped...7. Erigonum. 

1. POLYGONUM L. Knotweed 

Herbs with conspicuous stipules sheathing the prominent joints of the 
stem. Flowers white, red or greenish. Calyx 5-parted, often petal-like. 
Stamens 4.to 9. Styles 2 or 3. Achene triangular or lens-shaped. (Greek 
polus, many, and gonu, knee, on account of the nodose zigzag stem of 
many species.) 

Leaves mostly broad or ample, not jointed to the petiole. 

Spikes 1 or 2 ; flowers red ; stamens 5, exserted. 

Leaves elliptical or oblong; spikes 1.2 to 2.4 cm. long.1. P. amphibium. 

Leaves ovate-lanceolate; spikes 2.4 to 7.2 cm. long....2. P. muhlenbergii. 

Spikes several to many; flowers greenish, white or flesh-color; stamens 6 to 
8, included. 

Sheaths naked in age; spikes often drooping; flowers white or flesh- 
color....3. P. lapathifolium. 

Sheaths trunacte, fringed with bristles; spikes erect; flowers greenish. 

4. P. acre. 











56 


POLYGONACEAE 


Leaves mostly narrow and lanceolate, jointed upon a short petiole. 

Perennial and more or less suffrutescent; flowers crowded at ends of 


branches.5. P. paronychia. 

Annual, prostrate ; flowers all along stem from the base.6. P. aviculare. 


1. P. amphibium L. Water Persicarta. Aquatic perennial; leaves 
floating, elliptical to oblong or oblong-lanceolate; spike terminal, ovate 
or oblong, 1.2 to 2.4 cm. long; calyx red; stamens 5; style 2-cleft.—Ponds 
and slow-flowing streams. 

2. P. muhlenbergii Wats. Perennial, aquatic or in half dry places; 
stems decumbent, 6 to 8.5 (or 17) dm. high; leaves thin; calyx rose-color 
or pink; style 2-cleft.—Lakes and sluggish streams. 

3. P. lapathifolium L. Common Knotweed. Annual; stems stout, 
branching, 3 to 11.5 dm. high; leaves broadly lanceolate, attenuate or long- 
acuminate ; sheathing stipules naked in age; racemes axillary and ter¬ 
minal, erect or nodding, 2.4 cm. long or more; calyx white or flesh-color; 
stamens 6; style 2 or 3-parted.—Borders of streams or in lowlands. 

4. P. acre H. B. K. Dotted Smartweed. Perennial, 5.8 to 14 dm. 
high; leaves lanceolate; sheathing stipules bristly ciliate; calyx greenish, 
conspicuously glandular; stamens 8; styles 2 or 3.—Low or marshy 
places. 

5. P. paronychia C. & S. Stems 3 to 8.5 dm. long, clothed below with 
old sheaths; leaves linear-lanceolate; sepals white or rose-color; stamens 
8, the three inner dilated at base.—Sand hills along the coast. 

6. P. aviculare L. Yard Grass. Annual; stems wiry, mostly pros¬ 
trate, often 5 to 10 dm. long, flowering from the base; leaves oblong, 
acute; calyx-lobes white with a green center; stamens 8; styles 3.—Nat. 
from Eur., common in hard, often beaten, soils. 

2. FAGOPYRUM Tourn. 

Annual herbs, similar to Polygonum. Leaves triangular-cordate or 
sagittate. Flowers white, in corymbose panicles. Stamens 8, as many 
honey glands alternating with the filaments. Styles 3. Achene acutely 
triangular, large. (Greek fagus, beech, and pyren, grain, the fruits re¬ 
sembling a beech nut.) 

1. F. esculentum Moench. Cultivated Buckwheat. Cult, from nor¬ 
thern Asia. The seeds are made into a flour which forms the basis of 
buckwheat cakes, one of the most delicious products of American cookery. 

3. RUMEX L. 

Coarse herbs with alternate and often large leaves. Flowers small, 
greenish or reddish, crowded and commonly whorled in panicled racemes. 
Sepals 6, the 3 outer spreading or reflexed in fruit, the 3 inner larger and 
somewhat colored, enlarging and closing over the nut-like fruit. Stamens 
6. Styles 3. (Old Latin name used by Pliny.) 

Flowers perfect or some staminate on the same plant; roots yellow, scented; 
pedicels jointed. 

Inner fruiting sepals entire (or nearly so) and 

Without callous grains; longer than broad.1. R. hymenosepalus. 

With callous grains. 

Leaves strongly undulate; fruiting sepal with a broad wing border¬ 
ing the callous grain.2. R. crisp us. 

Leaves slightly undulate or plane. 






BUCKWHEAT FAMILY 


57 


Leaves slightly undulate; fruiting sepals with a narrow wing 
bordering the callous grain. 3. R. conglomeratus. 

Leaves plane; fruiting sepals triangular, usually much larger 
than the callous grain.4 .R. salicifolius. 

Inner fruiting sepals with prominent slender teeth or bristles ; callous grains 

1 to 3.5. R. pule her. 

Flowers dioecious; roots red, scentless; pedicels not jointed. 6. R. acetosella. 

1. R. hymenosepalus Torr. Canaigre. Stem nearly simple, 3 to 5.8 
dm. high; leaves oblong or tapering to each end, somewhat wavy-mar- 
gined; sheathing stipules conspicuous; panicle dense; pedicels jointed 
near the middle, shorter than the fruit.—Dry sandy washes and sandy 
plains. 

2. R. crispus L. Curly Dock. Stoutish, about 5.8 dm. high; 
leaves elliptical to oblong-lanceolate, wavy-margined; flowering branches 
strict, with few leaves, the whorls dense and mostly crowded; pedicels 
twice as long as the fruit, jointed near the base, recurved (as also in the 
next) : inner sepals in fruit bearing (as also in nos. 3 to 5) callous-like 
grains or 1 or 2 naked.—Weed, nat. from Eur. 

3. R. conglomeratus Murr. Green Dock. Stems slender, 8.6 to 14 

dm. high; leaves ovate or mostly oblong, slightly undulate; flowering 
branches very long, naked or with a leaf subtending some or all of the 
remote whorls; pedicels as long as or shorter than the fruit; callous 
grains mostly 3 and smooth.—Valleys. • 

4. R. salicifolius Weinm. Willow Dock. Stems commonly tufted, 
about 5.8 dm. high; leaves plane, glaucous, lanceolate, acute at both ends; 
flowering branchlets short (4.8 cm. long), with dense crowded and leafless 
whorls, or 1 or 2 lower whorls remote and leafy; pedicels rather shorter 
than the fruit.—Valleys. 

5. R. pulcher L. Fiddle Dock. Stem slender but rigid, widely 
branched above, the branches zigzag; leaves oblong or fiddle-shaped; 
flowering branches simple, divaricate, sparsely leafy, the dense whorls 
remote; callous grain often solitary.—Wayside weed, nat. from Eur. 

6. R. acetosella L. Sheep Sorrel. Stems tufted: staminate and 
pistillate flowers on different plants.—Weed, nat. from Eur. 

4. RHEUM L. 

Perennial herbs. Leaves large, rounded, mostly basal. Flowers white, 
in long panicles. Stamens 9 or 6. Ovary 3-angled; styles 3; stigmas 
capitate or cuneate. (Greek rha, the ancient name.) 

1. R. rhaponticum L. Garden Rhurarb. The large fleshy stalks, 
filled with most excellent acid juice, are cooked in late winter and spring 
as a substitute for fruit.—Native of southern Siberia. 

5. PTEROSTEGIA F. & M. 

Slender weak diffuse annual with dichotomous stems and opposite 
leaves. Flowers solitary and sessile in the axil of a bract-like involucre. 
Involucre rounded and 2-lobed or -toothed, in fruit becoming enlarged 
and thin, loosely inclosing the achene and bearing 2 sac-like protuber¬ 
ances on the back. Calyx commonly 6-parted. Stamens 3 or 6. (Greek 
pteron, a wing, and stege, a covering, in reference to the bract.) 

1. P. drymarioides F. & M. Leaves roundish and notched at apex 






58 


POLYGONACEAE 


or even cleft, or fan-shaped, or obcordate; flowers reddish, less than 2 
mm. long.—Shade of oaks or rocks. 

6. CHORIZANTHE R. Br. 

Leaves mostly basal, disappearing early, the cauline leaves mostly re¬ 
duced to bracts. Flowers 1 or several in a 3 or 6-toothed involucre, the 
teeth cuspidate or awned. Flowers included within the involucre or the 
calyx protruding. Calyx 6-parted or -cleft, colored. Stamens 9, 6 or 3. 
(Greek chorizo, to divide, and anthos, flower, on account of the parted 
calyx.) 

Involucre urnshaped, the teeth bordered by a broad scarious membrane. 

1. C. membranacea. 

Involucre cylindric, not scarious-margined.-.2. C. staticoides. 

1. C. membranacea Benth. Erect, 1.4 to 4.3 dm. high, simple below, 
branching above; leaves linear, sessile or short-petioled, glabrous above; 
involucres in solitary capitate clusters along the branches or almost ter¬ 
minal, white-scarious between the teeth; calyx woolly.—Foothills. 

2. C. staticoides Benth. Turk’s Rug. Stems 1 or several from the 
base, cymosely dichotomous, 9.6 to 24 cm. high, fragile at the joints; 
leaves reddish, soft-pubescent or grayish, white-woolly underneath ; in¬ 
volucres sessile, congested at the end of the branchlets or at the joints; 
calyx white to deep rose, exserted.—Dry sandy plains and foothills. 

7. ERIOGONUM Michx. 

Leaves alternate or whorled, or often wholly basal, without stipules. 
Flowers several to many in a 4 to 8-toothed or -lohed involucre. Pedicels 
of the flowers more or less exserted, intermixed with narrow bractlets. 
Calyx colored, 6-parted or -cleft, persistent. Stamens 9. Styles 3. Stig¬ 
mas capitate. (Greek erion, wool, and gonu, knee or joint, the nodes 
hairy in some species.) 

Calyx not stipe-like at base ; involucres turbinate or cylindric. 

Involucres turbinate, not angled, on scattered pedicels; inner and outer 


calyx-lobes very unlike.1. E. angulosum. 

Involucres cylindric, angled, always sessile. 

Involucres solitary, usually scattered. 

Stems, leaves and involucres white-woolly.2. E. virgatum . 

Stems glabrous, rarely a little woolly below.3. E. vimineum. 


Involucres 2 to several in heads, rarely solitary. 

Shrubs, at least woody at base ; stems very leafy. 

Heads terminal on the 2-forked peduncles, or racemosely dis¬ 
posed on the forks ; leaves mostly ovate or roundish.... 

4. E. parvifolium. 

Heads umbellate, sometimes solitary and terminal; leaves oblong 


or linear.5. E. fasciculatum. 

Herbaceous or mostly so, leafy only at base. 

Stems not fistulous; heads 1 or few.6. E. latifolium. 

Stems fistulous; heads several to many.7. E. nudum. 

Calyx stipe-like at base ; involucres in umbels.8. E. umbellatum. 


1. E. angulosum Benth. Diffusely branching from near the base, the 
branches 2-forked and 4 to 6-angled; basal leaves roundish to broadly 
oblong, on short petioles, the upper mainly lanceolate and sessile or nearly 
so; filiform stalks of the glabrous involucres terminal or borne in the 
forks; bractlets firm and rather broad; calyx-divisions pink with a red- 
purple midvein; outer divisions ovate, the inner narrower.—Hills and 
plains. 











SAURURACEAE 


59 


2. E. virgatum Benth. Stem slender, erect, simple or with few 
branches, 3 to 8.6 dm. high; leaves in whorls on lower part of stem or 
basal, oblanceolate; bracts lanceolate; calyx white, buff, sulphur-yellow 
or pink.—Stream beds. 

3. E. vimineum Dougl. Stems 1 or several, 7 to 43 cm. high, much 
branched; leaves orbicular to broadly ovate, white-tomentose below; in¬ 
volucres very narrow, strongly angled; flowers few, rose-color or yel¬ 
lowish ; outer calyx segments obovate, inner oblong.—Coast Range hills. 

4. E. parvifolium Sm. Shrub, or woody only at base, 3 to 8.6 dm. 
high; branches densely leafy with fascicled leaves; leaves thick, oblong- 
lanceolate to roundish, dark green and glabrous above, white with a 
dense felt beneath; involucres densely woolly on inside at throat; calyx 
white; filaments hairy at base.—Sand dunes and hillsides near the coast. 

5. E. fasciculatum Benth. Wild Buckwheat. Low shrubs 6 to 14 
dm. high; stems very leafy with fascicled leaves which are narrow, 
strongly revolute, tomentose beneath and often glabrate above; heads 
borne in an umbel, or the umbel often contracted or head-like; bracts 
most foliaceous; flowers rose-color or whitish. — Mountains and mesas, S. 
Cal. 

6. E. latifolium Sm. Stout, woolly throughout; leaves oblong to 
ovate, upper surface becoming glabrous, lower surface densely woolly: 
heads of involucres 1 to 4 in a terminal cluster on an erect naked stalk 
or the stalk branched at summit and the heads in an umbel; involucres 
tomentose; bractlets densely tomentose; flowers pale rose-color.—Sea- 
coast. 

7. E. nudum Dougl. Stems 1 or several, simple below, branching 
above and bearing many terminal and lateral heads of flowers; leaves 
mostly in a basal cluster; involucres glabrous or nearly so, 3 to 6 in each 
head; bractlets glabrous; flowers white or reddish, sometimes sulphur- 
yellow.—Hill country. 

8. E. umbellatum Torr. Sulphur Flower. Peduncles erect from 
a branching woody base, naked, 7.2 to 12 cm. high; leaves ovate, gla¬ 
brate above, white-woolly beneath; umbels simple, subtended by a whorl 
of linear to obovate bracts; flowers sulphur-yellow; filaments pilose on 
lower half.—Higher Sierra Nevada and Coast Ranges. 

SAURURACEAE. LIZARD-TAIL FAMILY 

Ours perennial herbs with scape-like stems. Leaves alternate, entire, 
petioled, mostly in a basal cluster. Flowers in a dense terminal spike 
without calyx or corolla. Stamens 6 to 8. Ovary 1-celled, with 3 or 4 
stigmas. Fruit a pod.—Species 4, in temperate and sub-tropical Asia 
and N. Am. 

1. ANEMOPSIS Hook. 

Stolon-bearing herbs with aromatic rootstock. Spike conical, sur¬ 
rounded at base by a showy white involucre of 5 to 8 bracts, each flower 
(except the lowest) also subtended by a small white bract. (Greek ane¬ 
mone, and opsis, appearance, the inflorescence resembling the flower of 
anemone.) 


60 


ARISTOLOCHIACEAE 


1. A. califomica (Nutt.) Hook. Yerba Mansa. Stems hollow, 1.4 
to 2.8 dm. high, with a clasping leaf above the middle and a cluster of 
1 to 3 petioled leaves in the axil; leaves elliptic-oblong, somewhat heart- 
shaped at base; bracts of the involucre 1.2 to 3 cm. long.—Moist alkaline 
lands. An infusion of the root is used by Spanish-Californians as a 
liniment for skin troubles and as a tea for disorders of the blood. 

ARISTOLOCHIACEAE. BIRTHWORT FAMILY 

Low herbs or twining shrubs. Leaves alternate, simple, cordate, long- 
petioled. Calyx conspicuous, lurid or gr.eenish, 3-lobed. Corolla none. 
Stamens 6 to 12. Ovary inferior, 6-celled. Fruit a globular or cylin¬ 
drical pod.—Species 210, warm parts of the earth. 


Low herb; calyx regular......1. Asarum. 

Woody climber ; calyx irregular.2. Aristolochia. 


1. ASARUM L. 

Herbs with fragrant creeping rootstocks which bear a pair of kidney¬ 
shaped or heart-shaped leaves and a short-stalked flower close to the 
ground. Calyx lurid, bell-shaped, the limb 3-parted into long spreading 
or recurved lobes. Stamens 12, with pointed tips. Style short, 6-lobed. 
Pod globose, fleshy, bursting irregularly. (Derivation obscure.) 

1. A. caudatum Lindl. Wild Ginger. Evergreen; calyx-lobes 
drawn out into tails 2.4 to 5.4 cm. long.—Deep shade of woods. 

2. ARISTOLOCHIA L. Pipe Vine 

Twining woody plant with ovate-cordate leaves and a tubular greenish 
and purplish calyx which is strongly curved and pipe-shaped. Stamens 
6 to 8, consisting of sessile anthers adnate to the short style which has 
a 3 to 6-lobed stigma. Pod 6-valved. (Greek aristos, best, locheia, 
parturition, from its supposed efficacy in child-birth.) 

1. A. californica Torr. Dutchman’s Pipe. Leaves deciduous; pod 
6-winged.—Wooded hill country. 

ULMACEAE. ELM FAMILY 

Trees or shrubs without milky juice. Leaves alternate, usually oblique. 
Flowers perfect or unisexual, irregular. Corolla none. Sepals 4 or 5, 
rarely 3 to 7. Stamens of same number, opposite the sepals, not elasti¬ 
cally incurved. Ovary superior, 1-celled, 1-ovuled, the ovule suspended, 
anatropous.—About 140 species generally distributed in all but the polar 
regions. 

1. ULMUS L. Elm 

Trees. Flowers perfect or rarely polygamous, in axillary clusters or 
racemes. Fruit a dry nutlet with a broad (rarely narrow) membranous 
wing all around. (Ancient Latin name of the elm.) 

1. U. racemosa Thomas. Cork Elm. Broad-crowned tree 6 to 15 
m. high; branchlets pubescent, corky-winged when older; buds pubes¬ 
cent ; leaves oval to oblong-obovate, pubescent beneath; wing with shal¬ 
low notch at apex.—Cult, from eastern U. S. as a street and shade tree. 




MORACEAE 


61 


URTICACEAE. NETTLE FAMILY 

Mostly herbs. Leaves simple, alternate or opposite. Flowers uni¬ 
sexual, regular, wind-pollinated. • Sepals 4 or 5. Stamens as many and 
opposite the sepals, uncoiling elastically. Ovary 1-celled, 1-ovuled. Style 
1. Fruit an achene or drupe. Seeds basal, orthotropous. — About 500 
species, mainly in the tropics. 

1. URTICA L. Nettle 

Herbs with stinging hairs. Leaves opposite. Flowers in racemose, 
spiked or head-like clusters. (Latin name of the nettle.) 

1. U. gracilis Ait. var. holosericea Jepson. Creek Nettle. Peren¬ 
nial; stem 11.5 to 28 dm. high; leaves long-ovate to lanceolate, pubes¬ 
cent, lower surface gray, 7.2 to 12 cm. long; flowers sessile, in spikes, 
the pistillate in axils above the staminate.—Along creeks and in damp 
spots; throughout Cal. 

2. U. urens L. Small Nettle. Annual: stem 2.8 to 4.3 dm. high: 
leaves elliptic to ovate, 1.2 to 3.6 cm. long, dark green; flowers more or 
less pediceled, the staminate and pistillate together in the same clusters.— 
Waste places, nat. from Eur. 

MORACEAE. MULBERRY FAMILY 

Trees or shrubs generally with milky juice. Leaves alternate. Flowers 
unisexual, arranged in catkin-like or head-like clusters. Calyx-segments 
generally 4. Stamens 4. Ovary 1 (or rarely 2)-celled; ovule pendulous. 
Stigmas 2.—About 300 species, exclusively in warmer climates. Famous 
plants in the family are the Bread-fruit Tree (Artocarpus incisa L.) of 
the South Sea Islands, India Rubber Tree (Ficus elastica Roxb.) of 
India, and Paper Mulberry (Broussonetia papyrifera Vent.) from which 
Japanese rice paper is made. 

Flowers of the two kinds in separate inflorescences ; filaments incurved in the bud ; 
leaves folded in the bud. 

Flowers usually monoecious, the pistillate in catkin-like spikes; branches not 
armed ...1. Morus. 

Flowers dioecious, the pistillate in a large spherical head; branches with 

axillary thorns.2. Maclura. 

Flowers of both kinds mixed on the inside of a closed fleshy receptacle ; filaments 
straight in the bud; leaves convolute in the bud.3. Ficus. 

1. MORUS L. Mulberry 

Trees. Leaves cordate or ovate, mostly serrate, often palmately lobed. 
Flowers monecious, in short pendulous axillary catkins. Pistillate 
flowers with one 2-celled ovary, the 4 calyx-lobes adherent to the ovary, 
becoming fleshy and cohering into a long multiple fruit like a blackberry 
in appearance. (Latin name.) 

1. M. nigra L. Black Mulberry. Tree 7 to 14 m. high; leaves 
dark dull green, commonly very rough above, usually not lobed; fruit 
large and sweet, black or very dark colored.—Cult, from Persia. 

2. MACLURA Nutt. Bow-wood 

Trees. Leaves entire, slender-petioled. Pistillate flowers crowded in 
catkin-like spikes or heads, which become fleshy in fruit, resembling an 





62 


CANNABACEAE 


orange with a roughish surface. (Wm. Maclure, an American geolo¬ 

gist-) 

1. M. pomifera Sehneid. Osage Orange. Tree 5 to 17 m. high, 
with furrowed orange-color bark; thorns 4.8 to 7 cm. long; leaves ovate 
to oblong-lanceolate, shiny; fruit subglobose, 9.6 to 14.4 cm. in diameter. 
:—Cult, as a fence barrier or hedge plant; native of the se. U. S. 

3. FICUS L. 

Trees and shrubs, often climbers. Leaves alternate. Receptacles (in 
which the flowers are concealed) borne in the axils of the leaves. Stipules 
large, falling off as the leaves expand. Achene seed-like. (Ancient 
Latin name.) 

1. F. carica L. Fig. Tree 5 to 23 m. high; leaves 3 to 5-lobed; 
fruit solitary, axillary, pear-shaped.—Cult, from the Levant. The first figs 
grown in California were brought from Spain by the Franciscans and 
planted in the Mission gardens. As the Mission Fig it has since been 
widely cultivated. About 1881 considerable numbers of the Smyrna 
Fig were planted, and later, through the definite introduction of the 
Blastophaga wasp as a pollinating agent, the industry was established on 
a commerical basis in the San Joaquin Valley. Cf. life history of the 
fig. Proceedings Cal. Fruit Growers Convention, 34th Conv. (1908), 36th 
Conv. (1909), 38th Conv. (1910); Science 10:570,—1899; Proceedings 
Cal. Acad. Sci. ser. 2, 5 :897-1003. 

CANNABACEAE. HEMP FAMILY 

Aromatic herbs without latex. Leaves palmately nerved, more or less 
divided, with persistent stipules. Flowers dioecious, greenish, small, 
wind-pollinated. Staminate flowers in loose compound racemes or pan¬ 
icles. Sepals 5. Stamens 5, with erect filaments. Pistillate flowers in 
close clusters or catkins. Calyx cup-like, entire, embracing the ovary 
and achene. Ovary 1-celled with 2 styles or 2 elongated stigmas and a 
pendulous curved ovule. Fruit a nutlet.—Species 3, Asia and Eur. 


Stems erect; stamens drooping. . 1 . Cannabis. 

Stems twining; stamens erect.2. Humulus. 


1. CANNABIS L. Hemp 

Rough annual herbs with watery juice and tough fibrous bark. Leaves 
digitate with 5 to 7 nearly linear coarsely toothed leaflets. Staminate 
flowers in axillary panicles, the pistillate in short axillary spikes. (An 
ancient Greek name.) 

1. C. sativa L. Common Hemp. Tall coarse plant 2 to 3 m. high; 
upper leaves alternate, the others more or less opposite.—Cult, from 
Asia for its remarkable stem fibres, which are used for cordage, and for 
its seeds which yield a fat oil. 

2. HUMULUS L. Hop 

Twining vines, the stems striated and roughish with hooked hairs. 
Leaves opposite, rough, palmately lobed. Flowers dioecious, in axillary 
clusters. Staminate flowers in drooping racemes, pistillate in pairs under 
large bracts making a cone-like catkin. (A late Latin name of Teu¬ 
tonic origin.) 




GERANIACEAE 


63 


1. H. lupulus L. Common Hop. Rough hairy perennial herb; leaves 
heart-shaped, 3 to 7-lobed; staminate panicles 4.8 to 14.4 cm. long; hops 
oblong or ovoid, papery, straw-yellow, glandular.—Native of Eur., cult, 
for the pistillate catkins or hops, which possess an aromatic bitterness 
or lupulin derived from the yellow glands appearing on the ovary and 
base of the bracts. Hops are used medicinally and also in the manufac¬ 
ture of beer, one of the most talked of beverages in America. 

ZYGOPHYLLACEAE. CALTROPS FAMILY 

Herbs or shrubs, ours with opposite pinnate leaves. Flowers perfect, 
regular. Sepals 5. Petals 5. Stamens 10, inserted with the petals on 
the receptacle.—Species about 160, widely distributed in warm and 
tropical regions. 

1. TRIBULUS Tourn. Caltrops 

Herbs, ours annuals. Flowers yellow, solitary on the peduncles. Ovary 
5-celled; cells 3 to 5-ovuled. Fruit lobed, splitting into 5 nutlets. (Greek 
tribulos, ancient name of Trapa.) 

1. T. terrestris, L. Puncture Weed. Stems branching from the 
base, trailing, 1.4 to 8.6 dm. long; herbage whitish-pubescent; petals 2 
to 4 mm. long; nutlets warty on back and with 2 stout spreading spines.— 
Nat. from Eur., following railway lines, thence spreading as a serious 
pest in valley lands. The spiny fruits puncture auto tires. 

OXALIDACEAE. OXALIS FAMILY 

Herbs with alternate or basal 3-foliolate leaves and regular flowers. 
Sepals 5. Petals 5. Stamens 10, united at base. Styles 5. Ovary 
superior, 5-celled, becoming a 5-lobed pod.—Species 230, tropical and 
subtropical. 

1. OXALIS L. Wood Sorrel 

Juice sour. Leaflets inversely heart-shaped, closing and drooping at 
night. Peduncles axillary, few to many-flowered. (Greek oxus, sour, 
the juice containing oxalic acid.) 

1. O. comiculata L. Yelllow Sorrel. Stems decumbent, 7 to 24 
cm. long, bearing alternate leaves; peduncles axillary, bearing a 2 or 3- 
flowered umbel with small bracts; flowers yellow.—Lawns and vacant 
lots. 

2. O. oregana Nutt. Redwood Sorrel. Leaves all basal; peduncles 
scape-like, commonly 1-flowered, 2-bracted near the top; flowers white, 
pink or rose-color, 1.8 to 2.4 cm. long.—Shady places, Redwood belt. 

GERANIACEAE. GERANIUM FAMILY 

Ours annual herbs with at least the lower leaves opposite. Flowers 
regular, on axillary peduncles, with 5 sepals, 5 petals, and 5 or 10'sta¬ 
mens. Ovary superior, deeply 5-lobed, with the 5 styles united around a 
central much elongated axis, the parts of the ovary separating elastically 
when ripe into achene-like fruits bearing the persistent styles in the form 
of long twisted or coiled tails.—Species 360, widely distributed over the 
whole globe. 


64 


LIMNANTHACEAE 


Stamens 10, all with anthers; leaves palmately parted. ..1. Geranium. 

Stamens with anthers 5 ; leaves pinnate or pinnatifid, or roundish-cordate. 

2. Erodium. 

1. GERANIUM L. Cranesbill 

Stems forking and leaves palmately parted. Peduncles 1 to 3-flowered. 
Stamens 10. (Greek geranos, a crane, from the elongated fruit-bearing 
beak.) 

1. G. carolinianum L. Carolina Geranium. Leaf-divisions more 
or less cut or toothed, the ultimate segments broad; petals light pink, 6 
mm. long.—Open places. 

2. ERODIUM L’Her. Storksbill 

Leaves simple or pinnate. Peduncles 2 to 8-flowered. Stamens with 
anthers 5, the alternate filaments sterile and scale-like. (Greek erodios, 
a heron.) 

Leaves pinnately cleft with broad acute lobes; beak of fruit 7.2 to 12 cm. long; 

sepals bristle-tipped.1. E. botrys. 

Leaves pinnately parted or divided into hooked segments ; fruit 3.6 to 4.2 cm. long. 

Sepals sometimes tipped with 1 or 2 short setose hairs; stipules large, 
obtuse.2. E. moschatum. 

Sepals tipped with 1 or 2 long bristle-like hairs; stipules commonly small 
and acute. 3. E. deuterium. 

1. E. botrys Bertol. Plants prostrate or diffuse; leaves oblong-ovate, 
pinnatifid with serrate lobes; sepals bristle-tipped; petals deep violet; 
filaments dilated and toothed.—Nat. from the Mediterranean. 

2. E. moschatum L’Her. White-stem Filaree. Musk Clover. 
Leaves 4.8 or 7.2 to 43.2 cm. long, the basal ones forming a close broad 
rosette upon the ground; leaflets ovate to elliptical, serrate or sparsely 
cut; sepal tips not bristle-bearing; petals rose-purple, 6 mm. long; fila¬ 
ments winged at base and toothed.—Orchards and vineyards; naturalized 
Mediterranean plant. 

3. E. cicutarium (L.) L’Her. Red-stem Filaree. Very like no. 2 
but leaflets nearly oblong and pinnatifid; sepal tips with 1 or 2 bristles; 
filaments little dilated at base, not toothed.—Far more common than no. 
2 and found everywhere on hills, plains and deserts. It is also naturalized 
from the Mediterranean and is a valuable forage plant. 

LIMNANTHACEAE. MEADOW-FOAM FAMILY 

Ours annual herbs with alternate pinnately divided leaves and solitary 
flowers on axillary peduncles. Sepals and petals 5 (rarely 4). Stamens 
10. Carpels 5, sub-globose and nearly distinct (but with a common style 
5-cleft at apex), when ripe separating into smooth or roughish seed-like 
pieces.—Species 5, North America. 

1. FLOERKEA Willd. 

Low somewhat succulent plants. Sepals valvate in the bud, as many 
hypogynous glands alternating with them. (H. G. Floerke, a German 
botanist.) 

1. F. douglasii Baill. Meadow-Foam. Stems branching from the 
base, 1.4 to 3.3 dm. long; herbage glabrous, yellowish green; leaf-divisions 
lobed or cleft; peduncles at length 4.8 to 9.6 cm. long; petals obovate- 
cuneate, yellowish and white or roseate at tip, or wholly white, 1.2 to 1.8 
cm. long.—Low wet places in valleys. 







EUPHORBIACEAE 


65 


POLYGALACEAE. POLYGALA FAMILY 

Perennial herbs or bushes with alternate simple leaves. Flowers 
irregular, resembling the papilionaceaous flowers of Leguminosae, but not 
like them in structure, borne in terminal racemes. Stamens (in ours) 
monadelphous. Ovary simple, superior.—Species about 400, temperate 
and tropical regions. 

1. POLYGALA L. Milkwort 

Stems often with milky juice. Sepals 5, thin, the two lower and the 
upper keeled one of about the same size, the two lateral much larger, 
colored, and projecting like the wings of a pea-flower. Petals 3, united 
at base, forming a dorsal pair, the third anterior, hooded above and often 
beaked or crested, enclosing the stamens and style. Stamens 8, monadel¬ 
phous, the tube open on one side and adnate to the base of the petals. 
Ovary 2-celled with one ovule in each cell; style long, curved. Capsule 
with thin walls, flattened contrary to the partition, rounded and often 
notched above, dehiscing loculicidally at the margin. (Polus, much, and 
gala, milk, an ancient Greek name for some shrub used as a stimulant.) 

1. P. californica Nutt. Stems many, 7 to 19 cm. high; leaves oblong- 
or elliptic-ovate, 1.2 to 3.6 cm. long; flowers of two sorts, those near 
the root apetalous and developing most of the fruit, those of the ter¬ 
minal racemes with rose-purple corollas 10 to 12 mm. long.—Wooded or 
brush-covered slopes. 

EUPHORBIACEAE. SPURGE FAMILY 

Ours herbs (one species woody at base) with simple leaves. Staminate 
and pistillate flowers without corolla, often destitute of calyx as well, 
sometimes exceedingly reduced and both sorts of flowers inclosed in a 
calyx-like involucre. Stamens 1 to many. Ovary superior, 3 or 1-celled, 
forming a 3-lobed pod splitting into 2 or 3 valves.—Species more than 
3000, mostly in the tropics. 


Flowers with a true calyx (not borne in an involucre). 

Upper leaves opposite; staminate flowers in corymbs.1. Eremocarpus. 

Leaves all alternate; staminate flowers in racemes. 

Leaves entire, not peltate.2. Croton. 

Leaves peltate, palmately 5 to 12-lobed.3. Ricinus. 

Flowers borne in a calyx-like involucre which has 4 or 5 teeth and bears more 
or less petal-like glands. 3. Euphorbia. 


1. EREMOCARPUS Benth. 

Low annual. Leaves 3-nerved, entire. Staminate flowers in terminal 
clusters, the calyx 5- or 6-parted with 6 or 7 exserted stamens. Pistillate 
flowers 1 or few in the axils, without calyx and with a 1-celled ovary 
having 4 or 5 glands at base; style one. Pod 2-valved, 1-seeded. (Greek 
eremos, solitary, and karpos, fruit.) 

1. E. setigerus Benth. Turkey Mullein. Stems dichotomously 
branched, forming a low spreading or prostrate plant 1.4 to 5.7 dm. broad, 
or on sterile soils the plants reduced to mere dwarfs 1 to 2 cm. high; 
leaves alternate or the upper opposite, ovate or round, on petioles as long; 
seed smooth and shining, 3 mm. long.—Low clay or gravelly hills or 
plains. 






66 


ANACARDIACEAE 


2. CROTON L. 

Perennial herbs, woody at base, with alternate entire leaves. Staminate 
flowers in racemes, the calyx 5-parted with as many glands alternating 
with the lobes. Stamens (in ours) about 9 to 11. Pistillate flowers 
mostly solitary, the calyx 5-parted and the ovary 3-celled; styles twice 
forked. Pod 3-lobed. (Greek kroton, a tick, the seeds resembling that 
insect.) 

1. C. californicus Mull. Arg. Stems branching from a woody base; 
herbage hoary except the green upper face of the leaves; flowers of the 
staminate racemes soon deciduous, leaving a naked axis; pod scurfy, 6 
mm. broad.—Sand hills near the ocean. 

3. RICINUS L. 

Herbs or small trees. Leaves large, with prominent glands on petioles. 
Raceme with the staminate flowers above and the pistillate below. Sta¬ 
mens many. Styles 3. Fruit a large 3-lobed pod with 3 large seeds. 
(Latin ricinus, a tick, on account of the shape and markings of the seed.) 

1. R. communis L. Castor Bean. Ours an annual 1 to 4 dm. 
high; in the tropics perennial and 8 to 11 m. high.—Cult, from the Old 
World for ornament and from the earliest'times for the oil of the seeds. 
The oil is an effective yet harmless purgative, though its active principle 
is not yet known. All children will testify that its taste is so uniquely 
nauseous as to be a scandalous outrage. 

4. EUPHORBIA L. Spurge 

Involucres solitary in the forks or in terminal umbels, with 4 or 5 
teeth alternating with as many glands, the glands often with colored mar¬ 
gin. Several staminate flowers (each consisting of a single stamen) 
and one pistillate flower (consisting of a single pistil with a 3-celled 
ovary and 3 bifid styles) are included in an involucre which itself re¬ 
sembles a flower. Fruit a 3-celled pod, each 1-seeded. (Euphorbus, King 
Juba’s physician.) 

1. E. serpyllifolia Pers. Thyme-Leaf Spurge. Stems prostrate; herb¬ 
age glabrous; leaves small, all opposite and more or less unequal at 
base, stipulate, obovate or oblong, serrulate at apex ; glands of the in¬ 
volucre with a petal-like white margin.—Stream beds and low grounds. 

2. E. leptocera Engelm. Stem erect, branching at base, 2.4 to 3.8 dm. 
high, the branches forking above; lower leaves alternate, obovate to 
spatulate, entire; uppermost leaves opposite or in threes, more or less tri¬ 
angular; stipules none; no colored margins to the glands.—Valleys and 
low hills. 

ANACARDIACEAE. SUMAC FAMILY 

Trees or shrubs with resinous or milky acrid juice and alternate leaves. 
Flowers in clusters, small, regular, either perfect, polygamous or dioeci¬ 
ous. Calyx commonly 5-parted, a disk lining its base. Petals commonly 
5, the stamens as many or twice as many. Pistil 1, superior; ovary 
1-celled, 1-ovuled; styles or stigmas 3. Fruit a dry drupe.—About 120 
species in subtropical and warm temperate regions. 

Stamens 5; drupe flattened...1. Rhus. 

Stamens 10; drupe globose.. r .2. Schinus. 




SUMAC FAMILY 


67 


1. RHUS L. Sumac 

Shrubs or small trees. Leaves (in ours) simple or 3-foliolate. Stamens 
5. Drupe flattened, with rather thin and dry flesh. (Ancient name.) 
Leaves 3-foliolate : deciduous shrubs, throughout Cal. 

Flowers greenish, in panicles; drupe whitish, the stone rough..1. R. diversiloba. 

Flowers yellowish, in spikes ; drupe red, the stone smooth.2. R. trilobata. 

Leaves simple, leathery ; evergreen shrubs ; flowers in panicles ; S. Cal. 

Panicle much branched, with slender divisions, glalDrous or nearly so ; drupe 
whitish.3. R. laurina. 

Panicle composed of stout spikes, finely pubescent; drupe red. 

Leaves elliptic, rounded at apex.4. R. integrifolia. 

Leaves ovate, acute or acuminate.5. R. ovata. 

1. R. diversiloba T. & G. Poison Oak. Erect shrub 11 to 23 dm. 
high, or the stems climbing tree trunks by adventitious rootlets; leaflets 
variable, roundish to ovate, variously lobed or toothed; panicles axillary, 
appearing with the leaves, somewhat pendulous; flesh of the whitish 
drupe marked with black fibres.—Hills, lower mountains and along val¬ 
ley streams. The plant juice is highly poisonous as a skin irritant, al¬ 
though some people have immunity. The poison is a non-volatile oil and 
one may be poisoned only by actual contact or through clothing or 
other objects which have been in contact v/ith the bushes, or through 
smoke particles. It is more widely spread in California than any other 
shrub. 

2. R. trilobata Nutt. Squaw Bush. Diffusely branching, 6 to 14 
dm. high; leaflets broadly ovate or elliptic, cuneate at base, crenate or 
lobed; flowers pale yellow, appearing before the leaves, borne in ter¬ 
minal often clustered spikes; drupe viscidly pilose.—Narrow valleys or 
flats in canon bottoms. The slender but tough pliable branchlets were 
prized in basket-making by the native tribes. 

3. R. laurina Nutt. Laurel-Sumac. Very leafy shrub, exhaling an 
aromatic odor; leaves ovate or lanceolate, abruptly mucronate, 3.6 to 
12 cm. long; panicle dense; flowers 1 to 2 mm. long; drupe whitish, very 
small.—S. Cal. valleys near the sea. In San Diego Co. it is esteemed as 
a bee-food shrub. 

4. R. integrifclia B. & H. Lemonade-berry. Shrub 8.5 to 28 dm. 
high; leaves entire or with a few small sharp teeth, 2.4 to 6 cm. long; 
panicles ashy-puberulent; flowers 4 to 6 mm. long; bracts, sepals and 
petals ciliolate.—S. Cal., often forming thickets near the coast. The 
excretion on the surface of the berry is used for an acid drink. 

5. R. ovata Wats. Sugar-Bush. Similar to no. 4; leaves shining; 
panicle dull-puberulent or glabrate.—Dry hills, S. Cal. The sweetish 
waxen covering of the berries is used by the native tribes for sugar. 

2. SCHINUS L. 

Tree. Leaves with many leaflets. Flowers yellowish green, the stami- 
nate and pistillate on separate plants, borne in axillary and terminal 
panicles. Stamens 10. Drupe globose, oily. (Greek name for the mas¬ 
tic-tree, Pistacia lentiscus; applied to this genus on account of the resi¬ 
nous mastic-like juice of some species.) 

1. S. molle L. Pepper-tree. Leaflets numerous, lanceolate, serrate; 






68 


RUTACEAE 


drupes red, size of a pea.—S. Am. species, commonly planted as a street- 
tree, especially in S. Cal. 

RUTACEAE. RUE FAMILY 

Herbs, shrubs or trees. Leaves usually alternate, simple or compound, 
glandular with pellucid dots. Flowers regular. Sepals 4 or 5. Petals 
4 or 5. Stamens 8 to 10 or more. Ovary superior, 2 to 5-celled, seated 
on a glandular disk. Fruit a capsule or samara, or fleshy and indehiscent. 
—About 900 species, mostly tropical. The native representatives are 
Thamnosma montana Torr. & Frem. (Turpentine Broom), a low desert 
shrub with alternate simple leaves and purple flowers; Cneoridium dumo- 
sum Hook, f., a bush of San Diego Co., with opposite simple leaves and 
drupe-like fruits, and Ptelea baldwinii T; & G. (Hop-tree), a shrub of the 
Coast Ranges with 3-foliolate leaves and fruit a samara. 

1. CITRUS L. 

Small evergreen more or less spiny trees or shrubs. Leaves uni- 
foliately compound with winged or margined petioles. Flowers white, 
fragrant. Stamens numerous, the filaments united at base into several 
bundles. Fruit a many-seeded, large berry (hesperidium) with a thick 
rind. (Ancient name of a fragrant African wood, afterwards trans¬ 
ferred to the citron.) 

Petals white above, tinged with red below; fruit mostly elongated.... 1. C. medica. 
Petals white on both surfaces; fruit commonly roundish. 

Petioles broadly winged ; branchlets and under side of leaves downy-pubes- 


cent...2. C. decumana. 

Petioles slightly winged; branchlets and leaves glabrous.3. C. sinensis. 


1. C. medica L. Citron. Shrub or small tree with large oblong 
leaves; leaves apparently not jointed between blade and petiole; petioles 
wingless; fruit oval or oblong, bluntly apiculate, lemon-yellow; rind thick, 
fragrant, coarsely roughened or furrowed.—Cult, from China. Var. 
limonum. Lemon. Small tree; leaves with an obvious joint between 
blade and petiole; petiole narrowly margined; fruit distinctly elongated, 
the rind not rough, with an abundant and acid juice. Var. limetta 
(Risso.) Engl. Lime. Small tree; leaves small; petioles narrowly 
winged; flowers small; fruit small, greenish-yellow, very acid.—Cult, 
from India. 

2. C. decumana Murr. Grapefruit. Pomelo. Shaddock. Large 
tree; petioles broadly winged; flowers large; fruit large, pale lemon- 
yellow when ripe; pulp acid.—Cult, from the tropics of Asia. It is called 
grape-fruit because the fruits are borne in clusters, but the name also 
has significance by reason of the delicious juice which recalls that of the 
Muscat of Alexandria. 

3. C. sinensis Osbeck. Common or Sweet Orange. Medium-sized 
trees with large ovate leaves ; petioles narrowly winged, articulated both 
with the blade and the stem; style deciduous; fruit globose to sub-glo¬ 
bose, golden yellow; pulp usually sweetish.—Cult, from Asia. Leading 
horticultural varieties in Cal. are the Washington Navel and Valencia. 




JUGLANDACEAE 


69 


SIMARUBACEAE. QUASSIA FAMILY 

Shrubs or trees with alternate (rarely opposite) pinnate leaves. 
Flowers unisexual, regular. Sepals and petals 3 to 5. Disk prominent, 
10-lobed; stamens 6 to 10. Fruit drupe-like or forming a berry or 
samara.—Species 140, chiefly tropical. 

1. AILANTHUS Desf. 

Large trees. Leaves alternate, odd-pinnate. Flowers small, in large 
terminal panicles, polygamous, the staminate very ill-scented. Fruit of 
1 to 5 distinct oblong samaras, with the compressed seed in the middle. 
(Ailanto, a Malakka name, meaning Tree of Heaven.) 

1. A. glandulosa Desf. Tree of Heaven. Tree 9 to 17 m. high; 
leaves 4.3 to 5.7 dm. long; leaflets with 2 to 4 coarse teeth near the base, 
each with a large gland beneath; samaras 3.6 cm. long.—Cult, from 
China. It is the only exotic tree in California which is markedly spon¬ 
taneous. It has in some localities become a pest as a tree weed. 

MELIACEAE. MELIA FAMILY 

Trees and shrubs with alternate often pinnate leaves. Flowers small. 
Sepals 4 or 5. Petals 4 or 5. Stamens 8 to 10 and with filaments united 
into a tube which is entire or lacerate. Fruit a capsule or berry.—About 
600 tropical species. 

1. MELIA L. Pride of India. China Tree 

Leaves twice compound. Leaflets ovate and sharply toothed. Flowers 
purplish, in large compound panicles. Fruit a berry-like drupe with a 
bony 5-celled stone. (Old Greek name of the Ash Tree.) 

1. M azederach L. var. umbraculiformis Berckm. Texas Umbrella 
Tree. Tree 8 to 11 m. high, very dense-headed and umbrella-like by 
reason of the radiating branches and drooping foliage; berry yellowish.— 
Cult, from Asia as a street tree in the hot interior valleys. 

JUGLANDACEAE. WALNUT FAMILY 

Trees with alternate pinnate leaves. Staminate and pistillate flowers 
on the same plant, the former in catkins with an irregular calyx and 
several stamens, the latter solitary or 2 or more in a cluster with a 3 to 
5-lobed calyx, the tube of which is adherent to the ovary. Fruit a bony 
nut covered by a husk.—About 35 species in the north temperate zone, 
including many species of Carya (Hickory, Butternut and Pecan.) 

1. JUGLANS L. Walnut 

Branchlets hollow, chambered by pithy plates. Leaflets many. Stami¬ 
nate catkins long and pendulous; stamens 12 to 40. Pistillate flower with 
a 4-toothed calyx, 2 styles and a 1-celled ovary. Nut incompletely parti¬ 
tioned, containing a single sweet edible seed so lobed as to fit the irregu¬ 
larities of the cavity. (Latin Jovis, Jupiter and glans, nut.) 

Leaflets 9 to 25 ; husk, when dry, persistent on the thick-shelled nut. 


Nuts deeply grooved.L /• californica. 

Nuts obscurely or not at all grooved.2. /. hindsii. 




70 


BETULACEAE 


Leaflets usually 7 to 9, almost entire; husk (when dry) falling away from the 
thin-shelled nut..3. J. regia. 

1. J. californica Wats. Southern California Black Walnut. 
Tree 4.3 to 8.6 m. high, commonly with several stems from the base, the 
crown much broader than high; leaflets 11 to 19, oblong-lanceolate, ser¬ 
rate.—Coastal S. Cal. 

2. J. hindsiijepson. California Black Walnut. Tree 8 to 18 m. 
high, with a single erect trunk, the crown much higher than broad; leaflets 
lanceolate, 7.2 to 12 cm. long’—Central Cal., on old Indian camp-sites. 
It is extensively used as a stock-graft for English Walnut. 

3. J. regia L. English Walnut. Tree 5 to 11 m. high; leaflets 5 to 
13, oval, almost entire.—Cult, from Asia and more properly known as 
Persian Walnut. The annual crop in Cal. is about 52 million pounds. 

MYRICACEAE. SWEET-GALE FAMILY 

Shrubs or small trees. Leaves alternate, simple, resinous-dotted. 
Flowers unisexual, in catkins. Perianth none. Stamens 4 to 16. Ovary 
superior, 1-celled; ovule 1; stigmas 1 to 4. Fruit a nutlet.—Species about 
50, mostly tropical. 

1. MYRICA L. 

The only genus. (Greek murike, the ancient name of the Tamarisk.) 

1. M. californica Cham. Wax Myrtle. Densely branched shrub or 
small tree 2 to 8 m. high; leaves oblong or oblanceolate-oblong, dark 
green, glossy, 5 to 12 cm. long; fruit berry-like, coated with a white wax. 
—Sand-dunes, moist flats or hillsides, near the ocean. 

BETULACEAE. BIRCH FAMILY 

Ours trees with alternate simple leaves and small flowers in clustered 
catkins. Staminate catkins pendulous, the flowers 3 in the axil of each 
bract and consisting of a membranous 4-parted calyx and 2 to 4 stamens. 
Pistillate catkins much smaller and shorter, sub-erect, the flowers 2 in 
the axil of each bract, without perianth, consisting of a pistil with 2 
styles and a 2-celled ovary. Fruit a small flattened 1-seeded margined 
or winged nut.—Species 75, extra-tropical northern hemisphere. 

1. ALNUS Hill. Alder 

Pistillate catkins woody and cone-like in fruit. (The Latin name.) 

Leaf-margin plane, with small scattered glandular teeth ; stamens 2, sometimes 3, 

1 or 4...1. A. rhombifolia. 

Leaf-margin coarsely toothed, the entire margin with a narrow underturned 
edge; stamens 4, rarely 3.2. A. rubra. 

1. A. rhombifolia Nutt. Tree 5 to 20 m. high, the trunk brown or 
ashy-gray; leaves narrowed to each end from the middle, varying to 
ovate or elliptic; bracts of staminate catkins obtuse; stamens 2 to 4.— 
Interior streams, in valleys or canons, s. to S. Cal. The wood is used 
for making boxes, the slender trunks for studs and rafters. 

2. A. rubra Nutt. Tree 8 to 17 m. high, the trunk gray or white; 
leaves 4.8 to 14.4 cm. long, broadly ovate, often rusty beneath, the margin 
toothed and serrulate and commonly revolute; bracts of the staminate 





FAGACEAE 


71 


catkin acute; stamens 4.—Near the coast, Santa Barbara Co. to Del 
Norte Co. The wood is used for piles and boats. 

CORYLACEAE. HAZEL FAMILY 

Shrubs with alternate simple leaves. Staminate flowers in catkins, 
without calyx or corolla; stamens as if 8, really 4 with forked filaments, 
the undivided portion of the filament in ours obsolete. Pistillate flowers 
several in a scaly bud, the calyx minute, adnate to the ovary and without 
limb; style short, with slender elongated stigmas. Fruit a nut inclosed 
in a leafy tubular involucre.—Species about 15, north temperate zone. 

1. CORYLUS L. Hazelnut 

Leaves thin, serrulate or incised. Staminate catkins pendulous. Nut 
ovoid or globose. (Greek korus, a helmet, from the involucre.) 

1. C. rostrata Ait. var. californica A. DC. Commonly 1 to 2 m. high ; 
leaves short-villous beneath; involucre densely hispid.—Along streams. 
The slender wands are used as hoops in making Redwood lime barrels. 
Yar. tracyi Jepson. Leaves subglabrous beneath; involucral tube beyond 
nut very short.—N. Cal. 

FAGACEAE. OAK FAMILY 

Trees or shrubs with alternate simple leaves, and apetalous flowers. 
Staminate flowers in slender catkins, the calyx 2 to 8-lobed and the sta¬ 
mens 3 to 12. Pistillate flowers solitary or in small clusters, 1 to 3 in an 
involucre which in fruit becomes the cup or bur of the nut. Ovary 
3-celled, 6-ovuled, only 1 ovule maturing.—About 600 species in sub¬ 
tropical and temperate northern hemisphere. The family is important be¬ 
cause including so many species with strong tough wood. 


Fruit an acorn ; catkins simple. 

Catkins unisexual, the staminate drooping . 1 . Quercus-. 

Catkins erect, all with staminate flowers, pistillate flowers at base of some 

of them..2. Lithocarpus. 

Fruit a spiny bur; catkins erect, often branching, unisexual, or with pistillate 
flowers at base of some of the staminate catkins. 3. Castanopsis. 

1. QUERCUS L. Oak 


Flowers greenish or yellowish. Staminate catkins commonly pendu¬ 
lous. Pistillate flowers 1 to each involucre, which becomes the woody 
cup of the acorn. Seed with thick fleshy cotyledons. (Latin name of 
the oak.) 

Bark commonly white or whitish, wood light-colored; stamens mostly 6 to 9; 

stigmas sessile or nearly so ; abortive ovules mostly toward base of nut.— 
White Oaks. 

Acorns maturing the first autumn ; nut glabrous on the inner surface. 
Deciduous species; trees. 

Branchlets pendulous; acorn cups deep, the nut long and slender; 

trunk bark dark brown, deeply checked.1. Q. lobata. 

Branchlets not pendulous; acorn cups shallow; trunk bark white, 
smoothish. 

Leaves dark lustrous green above, rusty or pale beneath, 5 to 

7-parted.2. Q. garryana. 

Leaves bluish-green above, pale beneath, coarsely toothed or 
entire.3. Q. douglasii. 








72 


FAGACEAE 


Evergreen species; shrubs; leaves light green.4. Q. dumosa. 

Acorns maturing the second autumn; nut tomentose or hairy within ; ever¬ 
green ; leaves entire or spinose-toothed.5. Q. chrysolepis. 

Bark dark or black; wood dark or reddish; stamens 4 to 6; stigmas on long styles; 
nuts tomentose within. —Black Oaks. 

Acorns maturing the first autumn; leaves roundish, mostly a little cupped ; 

evergreen .6. Q. agrifolia. 

Acorns maturing the second autumn. 

Leaves oblong, entire or spiny-toothed, plane ; evergreen....7.Q, wisilizenii. 
Leaves pinnately parted or toothed, the lobes always bristle-tipped ; de¬ 
ciduous species.8. Q. kelloggii. 

1. Q. lobata Nee. Valley Oak. Graceful tree 9 to 17 m. high, com¬ 
monly with wide-spreading branches, the long hanging branchlets some¬ 
times sweeping the ground; leaves broadly oblong or obovate, with shal¬ 
lowly or deeply pinnate lobes, 6 to 9.6 cm. long; nut long-conical, 3 to 5.4 
cm. long, chestnut-brown when fully ripe; cup of the acorn with strongly 
tuberculate scales.—Rich valley lands. The wood is hard, brittle, rot¬ 
ting quickly, used for fuel and rarely for fence posts. 

2. Q. garryana Dough Oregon Oak. Tree 8 to 20 m. high, the 
branchlets rigid, not drooping, more woolly-pubescent than in the last; 
leaves obovate or oblong, pinnately cleft into 5 or 7 lobes with mostly 
narrow sinuses, dark green above, rusty or brown beneath; acorri 2.4 to 
3 cm. long; nut subglobose or oblong-cylindric, commonly obtuse; cup 
shallow, its scales thin, rarely tuberculate.—Coast Ranges from the Santa 
Cruz Mts. n. The wood is straight-grained, remarkably white and fairly 
strong. It is used for furniture and interior fipish. 

3. Q. douglasii H. & A. Blue Oak. Tree 5 to 9 m. high with 
round-topped head ; leaves oblong, oval or obovate, bluish-green above, 
mostly yellowish and pubescent beneath; margin with commonly shallow 
sinuses or coarsely toothed or entire, 4.8 to 7.2 cm. long; acorn 1.8 to 
3.6 cm. long; nut oval, often swollen at or below the middle; cup thin, 
very shallow. —Dry foothills. The wood is close-grained, hard and 
brittle. It is extensively used for fuel. 

4. Q. dumosa Nutt. Scrub Oak. Shrub 6 to 23 dm. high, with tough 
rigid branchlets; leaves oblong to elliptic or roundish, irregularly spinose- 
serrate or lobed with angular sinuses, or entire, 1.8 to 2.4 cm. long; 
acorn 1.8 to 2.7 cm. long; cup saucer-shaped; nut oval to cylindric.— 
Chaparral slopes; highly variable. 

5. Q. chrysolepis Liebm. Maul Oak. Tree 8 to 11 m. high, or on ex¬ 
posed summits a low shrub; leaves mostly ovate and acute, entire or 
often spinose-toothed, pale green above, golden beneath or eventually 
lead-color, 2.4 to 7.2 cm. long; acorn 1.2 to 4.8 cm. long; nut oval or 
ovate, 1.2 to 4.8 cm. long; cup shallow, typically like a yellow turban.— 
Higher ridges and canon walls. The wood is hard, strong, very fine¬ 
grained, very tough and is used for mauls, tool-handles, machine bear¬ 
ings, wagon parts, furniture and floors. 

6. Q. agrifolia Ne.e. Coast Live Oak. Tree with broad low top, 5 
to 11 m. high; leaves oblong to roundish, spinose-toothed or entire, 3.6 to 
7.2 cm. long; acorn 1.8 to 3.6 cm. long; nut elongated-ovate; cup top¬ 
shaped, the scales thin.—Coast Range valleys and mountains. The wood 






OAK FAMILY 


73 


is hard, heavy and moderately strong. It is used for firewood and char¬ 
coal. Foliage branches are cut from the trees for browsing to save range 
cattle in the starvation years in California. 

7. Q. wislizenii A. DC. Interior Live Oak. Tree 7 to 11 m. high: 
leaves broadly oblong to lanceolate, entire or spinose-toothed, mostly 2.4 
to 3.6 cm. long; acorn 2.4 to 3.6 cm. long; nut slender-conical, acute; 
cup top-shaped or almost tubular, the scales thin.—Interior streams and 
foothills. The wood is tough and strong but rots quickly in contact with 
soil. It is used extensively for firewood. 

8. Q. kelloggii Newb. California Black Oak. Tree 5 to 10 m. 
high; leaves elliptic or obovate in outline, pinnatelv parted by sinuses 
into 5 to 7 lobes with bristle-pointed teeth, 7.2 to 16.8 cm. long; acorn 2.4 
cm. long; nut broadly oblong, obtuse; cup deeply hemispherical.—Valleys 
and mountain ridges. The wood is heavy and hard and is sometimes used 
for wagon parts by rural artisans. 

2. LITHOCARPUS Bl. Tan Oak 

Evergreen trees or shrubs with erect catkins. Catkins wholly stami- 
nate, or with pistillate flowers at the base of some of the catkins. Pistil¬ 
late flowers 1 in an involucre. Fruit an acorn, the cup with linear or 
subulate spreading scales. (Greek lithos, rock, and karpos, fruit, refer¬ 
ring to acorn.) 

1. L. densiflora H.&A.) Rehd. Tan Oak. Tree 6 to 30 m. high; leaves 
oblong to elliptic-oblong, tomentose when young, 4.8 to 12 cm. long, with 
conspicuous parallel nerves ending in the teeth of the margin ; acorn 1.8 
to 3 cm. long; nut oval; cup shallow.—Coast Ranges, toward the coast. 
The bark is a valuable tanning agent in the production of high grade 
heavy leather; about 20,000 cords are used annually in California. The 
wood is straight-grained and white and is sometimes used for flooring. 

3. CASTANOPSIS Spach. Chinquapin 

Ours evergreen trees or shrubs. Leaves entire. Catkins erect, some 
of them wholly staminate, some with pistillate flowers at base. Stami- 
nate calyx 5 to 6-parted, the stamens mostly twice as many. Pistillate 
flowers 1 to 3 in an involucre which becomes a spiny bur enclosing the 
nuts. Fruit ripening the second season. (Greek kastanea, chestnut, and 
opsis, resemblance.) 

1. C. chrysophylla A. DC. Giant Chinquapin. Tree 15 to 25 m. 
high; bark thick and rough; leaves oblong, mostly acute at both ends, 
usually long-pointed, 6 to 13 cm. long; involucre irregularly 4-valved: 
seed edible.—Mountains of Mendocino and Humboldt Cos. Var. minor 
Benth. Golden Chinquapin. Shrub 8 to 43 dm. high; leaves trough¬ 
like, very golden below.—Rocky ridges and slopes, Monterey to Hum¬ 
boldt Co., mostly near the sea. 

2. C. sempervirens Dudley. Bush Chinquapin. Spreading, shrub 3 
to 23 dm. high with thin smooth brown bark; leaves mostly plane, oblong, 
sometimes lanceolate-oblong, usually obtuse, 3.6 to 7.2 cm. long.—Dry 
mountain slopes or rocky ridges, but not near the sea. 


74 


ACERACEAE 


SAPINDACEAE. BUCKEYE FAMILY 

Trees with opposite palmately compound leaves, irregular flowers, 
5-lobed calyx, 4 or 5 petals, 5 to 7 stamens and a 3-celled ovary becoming 
a leathery dehiscent pod.—Species 22, north temperate zone. 

1. AESCULUS L. Horse Chestnut 

Flowers showy, crowded in a terminal cylindrical cluster, mostly sterile, 
usually but 1 or 2 in each cluster setting fruit. Petals slightly unequal, 
with claws. Ovules 2 in each cell, commonly but 1 ovule in the ovary ma¬ 
turing, the pod therefore with one large seed. (Latin name of an Italian 
oak with edible acorns.) 

1. A. californica (Spach) Nutt. California Buckeye. Low broad¬ 
headed tree 2 to 7 m. high: leaflets 5 to 7; flower-clusters 10 to 14 cm. 
long, ill-scented: seeds smooth and polished, reddish-brown, 3.6 to 6 cm. 
in diameter.—Low hills. 

ACERACEAE. MAPLE FAMILY 

Trees with opposite leaves and small regular flowers. Calyx 5-lobed. 
Petals 5 or none. Stamens 7 to 10. Styles 2, long. Ovary 2-lobed, 
2-celled, becoming a pair of winged fruits (samaras).—Species 110, 
mostly upland countries of northern hemisphere. 

ACER L. Maple 

Leaves simple or compound. Flower clusters always drooping. (The 
Latin name.) 

1. A. macrophyllum Pursh. Big-leaf Maple. Tree 5 to 8 m. high 
or more; leaves simple, roundish in outline, 7.2 to 24 cm. broad, palmately 
parted into 5 broad mostly 3-lobed divisions; flowers in racemes, greenish 
or dull white; petals present; stamens 7 to 9; body of fruit short-bristly. 
—Along streams. Highly valued as a street tree. The wood is close- 
grained, rather hard, takes a high polish, and works easily. 

2. A. negundo L. var. californicum Sarg. California Box Elder. 
Tree 5 to 14 m. high; leaves pinnate, the leaflets variable, serrate, cut or 
lobed; staminate and pistillate flowers on different trees; petals none; 
staminate flowers clustered on hair-like pedicels; stamens 4 or 5; pistil¬ 
late flowers in racemes; samaras finely pubescent.—Along streams. Often 
used as a highway tree. 

VITACEAE. VINE FAMILY 

Woody plants, usually climbing by tendrils, with alternate simple or 
palmately compound leaves and small flowers. Calyx minute. Petals 4 
or 5, with as many opposite stamens. Ovary 2-celled, becoming a 1 to 4- 
seeded berry.—About 450 species of tropical and subtropical distribution. 

Leaves simple; tendrils coiling about the support.1. Vitis. 

Leaves palmately compound; leaflets 5 or 3, often but 1 ; tendrils attaching them¬ 
selves by an adhesive disk at tip.2. Ampelopsis. 

1. VITIS L. Grape 

Climbing by the coiling of naked tendrils. Leaves simple, rounded, or 
ovate, heart-shaped at base. Flowers in very fragrant clusters, the petals 




RHAMNACEAE 


75 


fall ng off without opening. Ovary surrounded by a nectar-secreting disk 
which fills the short truncate calyx. (Classical Latin name.) 

1. V. californica Benth. California Wild Grape. Leaves for the 
most part slightly or not at all lobed, coarsely or minutely dentate; fruit¬ 
ing clusters 4.8 to 9.6 cm. long, the fruit purple, with a bloom, 6 or 8 mm. 
in diameter.—Along streams, climbing trees and often enshrouding them 
completely in its drapery of foliage. 

2. V. vinifera L. Common Grape Vine. Leaves lobed or sinuately 
toothed, glabrous or downy; fruiting clusters ovate or cylindrical, loose 
or crowded; fruit purple, blue, black, white, pink or red.—Cult, from Asia 
Minor, the original wild stock of the horticultural varieties known as 
Muscat, Chasselas, Tokay, Morocco, Zinfandel, Rose of Peru, Mission, 
Sweetwater, and many others. The latter varieties are wine grapes, of 
which large quantities are grown in California. Before 1918 prices aver¬ 
aged $5.00 to $25.00 a ton; since 1918 the average has been about $80.00 
to $125.00 a ton. 

2. AMPELOPSIS Michx. 

Climbing plants, the tendrils fixing themselves by sucker-like disks at 
the tips. Leaves palmately compound. Leaflets 5, or even only 1, rarely 
3. Petals thick, expanding before they fall. Berry bluish-black. (Greek 
ampelos, vine, and opsis, likeness.) 

1. A. tricuspidata Sieb. & Zucc. Japanese Ivy. Boston Ivy. Branch¬ 
ing profusely and covering walls, adhering by much-branched tendrils; 
leaves rarely with 3, commonly with 1 leaflet which is jointed to the 
petiole and falls in autumn before the petiole falls; leaflets very variable, 
roundish, ovate or cordate, serrate, commonly 3-lobed, thickish and shin¬ 
ing. —Cult, from Japan. 

2. A. quinquefolia Michx. Virginia Creeper. Climbing extensive¬ 
ly ; leaflets 5, lance-oblong, coarsely serrate, changing to crimson in 
autumn.—Cult, from the eastern United States. 

RHAMNACEAE. BUCKTHORN FAMILY 

Shrubs or small trees with simple leaves and caducous stipules. 
Flowers small, regular, stamens, petals and lobes of the calyx 4 or 5. 
Petals inserted with the stamens on a disk lining the calyx-tube, some¬ 
times none, commonly with claws. Stamens opposite the petals. Ovary 
3- (2 to 4-) celled, free or adnate to base of calyx. Style simple or 
3- (2 to 4-) cleft. Fruit a pod or berry-like.—About 550 species, gener¬ 


ally distributed over the earth. 

Calyx free from the ovary; fruit a berry.1. Rhamnus. 

Calyx adnate to base of ovary; fruit a dry pod.2. Ceanothus. 


1. RHAMNUS L. Buckthorn 

Leaves alternate. Flowers greenish, in axillary clusters. Petals small 
or none. Fruit berry-like, containing 2 to 4 seed-like bony nutlets. (The 


ancient Greek name.) 

Flowers with petals; berry black. 

Evergreen shrub; leaves thickish; common, wide spread.1. R. californica. 

Small deciduous tree ; leaves thinnish; North Coast Ranges....2. R. purshiana. 
Flowers without petals, or the petals very minute; berry red.3. R. crocea. 






76 


RHAMNACEAE 


1. R. californica Esch. Coffee Berry. Evergreen shrub, 11.5 to 20 
dm. high; leaves oblong, 2.4 to 4.8 cm. long; petals minute; berry globose 
or oval, 6 to 8 mm. in diameter.—Common everywhere in hill country. 
The dry fruits were used in early days as a substitute for the coffee bean. 

2. R. purshiana DC. Cascara Sagrada. Small deciduous tree; leaves 
elliptic-oblong, thinnish, obtuse or blunt-pointed at apex, serrulate, mostly 
7.2 to 14.4 cm. long; parts of the flowers in fives.—Mendocino Co. and n. 
to Wn. The bark furnishes the officinal drug Cascara, which is one of 
the most valuable of cathartics. 

3. R. crocea Nutt. Red-berry. Low evergreen shrub 1 to 8 dm. high; 
branches slender, flexible; herbage glabrous; leaves often fascicled, nar¬ 
rowly elliptic, serrulate, green above, yellowish beneath, 2 to 8 mm. long; 
calyx-lobes and stamens 4; berry 4 to 6 mm. long.—Coast Ranges. Var. 
ilicifolia Greene. Often tree-like, 14 to 28 dm. high; branchlets short 
and stout; leaves oval, 1.4 to 2 cm. long; calyx-lobes and stamens fre¬ 
quently 5. —Interior ranges mainly. 


2. CEANOTHUS L. Mountain Lilac 
Flowers in racemes, panicles or umbels. Calyx 5-lobed. Petals 5, 
hooded. Stamens 5, long-exserted. Style 3-cleft. Fruit sub-globose, 3- 
lobed, splitting into 3 valves. (Greek keanothus, name used by Dioscori- 
des to designate some spiny plant.) 

Leaves alternate; stipules deciduous; fruit smooth or crested; flowers in racemes 
or panicles. 

Branches flexible, not spinescent. 

Panicles mostly simple ; leaves mostly pinnately nerved. 

Branches terete ; low or prostrate shrubs. 

Leaf margin flat, leaves glossy above.1. C. foliosus. 

Leaf margin revolute. 

Upper surface papillate all over; panicle oblong. 

2. C. papillosus. 

Upper surface papillate on margin; panicle subglobose. 

3. C. dentatus. 


Branchlets angular; tall shrubs or small trees. 

Leaves strongly 3-nerved, plane.4. C. thyrsiflorus. 

Leaves pinnately veined, with revolute edges.5. C. parryi. 

Panicles large and compound ; leaves mostly 3-nerved ; tall shrub. 

6. C. integerrimus. 

Branches rigid or spinescent. 

Capsules mostly crestless; flowers white or blue. 

Branchlets with greenish or brownish bark, flexible ; spines slender, 

axillary, mostly leafless; leaves pinnately veined. 

7. C. spinosus. 

Branchlets with whitish bark, rigid; leafless spines none; leaves 

3-nerved.8. C. divaricatus . 

Capsules crested. 

Panicles simple, commonly cylindric; branchlets not spiny or not 

markedly so; flowers blue.9. C. sorediatus. 

Panicles compound, not cylindric; branchlets spiny; flowers white.... 

10. C. incanus. 

Leaves usually opposite; stipules warty, persistent; fruit with a horn on each 
lobe ; flowers in umbel-like clusters. 

Leaves alternate or rarely opposite; flowers white.11. C. macrocarpus. 

Leaves opposite. 

Leaves not revolute, usually entire.12. C. cuneatus. 

Leaves somewhat revolute, frequently dentate. 

Lower surface of leaves tomentulose-areolate.13. C. jepsonii. 

Lower surface of leaves densely white-tomentose....l4. C. crassifolius. 














BUCKTHORN FAMILY 


77 


1* foliosus Parry. Low shrub with diffuse or horizontally spread- 
in^ branches; leaves broadly oblong with smooth waxy surface and con¬ 
spicuous glandular-serrate margin, 6 to 12 mm. long, frequently with 
smaller ones fascicled in the axils; racemes globose to oblong, 1.2 to 2.4 
cm. long; flowers blue; pods smooth, conspicuously lobed, crested.— 
North Coast Ranges. 

2. C. papillosus T. & G. Open shrub 11 to 17 dm. high; leaves oblong 
to linear, 1.2 to 5.4 cm. long, dark green above with glandular-papillate 
protuberances, pubescent or felt-like beneath; panicles cylindric 1.2 to 
4.2 cm. long; flowers blue; pod lobed and crested.—South Coast Ranges 
near the coast. 

3. C. dentatus T. & G. Low dense shrub; leaves obovate or elliptical, 
becoming strongly or irregularly revolute, 6 to 10 (or 16) mm. long; 
panicles subglobose 1.2 to 3 cm. long; flowers blue; pods promi¬ 
nently crested.—Santa Cruz Mts. to Monterey. 

4. C. thrysiflorus Esch. Blue Blossom. Shrub 11 to 43 dm. high; 
leaves green on both faces, elliptical or oblong-ovate, strongly 3-nerved 
beneath, serrulate, 2.4 to 6 cm. long; panicle 3.6 to 6.6 cm. long; flowers 
blue, rarely white; pod globose, smooth, little lobed.—Mountains near 
the coast. 

5. C. parryi Trel. Parry Lilac. Similar to no. 4; leaves oblong, pin- 
nately veined, dark green above, loosely tomentose beneath, the mar¬ 
gins revolute.—Mountains about Napa Valley. 

6. C. integerrimus H. & A. Deer-Brush. Shrub 11 to 34 dm. high 
with slender branches and pliant branchlets; leaves ovate to oblong-ovate, 
entire, 1.8 to 4.8 cm. long, green above, lighter green below; panicles 
pyramidal, 7.2 to 12 cm. long; flowers commonly white; pod globose, 
somewhat lobed.—Sierra Nevada, Coast Ranges, S. Cal. 

7. C. spinosus Nutt. Tall shrub; branchlets spine-like but slender; 
leaves elliptical, green above, drying brown beneath, 1.2 to 2.4 cm. long; 
panicle 2.4 to 7.2 cm. long; flowers pale blue; pod depressed, scarcely 
lobed, smooth, crestless.—Santa Barbara to S. Cal. 

8. C. divaricatus Nutt. Jack-Brush. Shrub 14 to 40 dm. high with 
rigid divaricate branchlets; leaves ovate, entire or glandular-serrulate, 
glabrous above, puberulent beneath, 1.2 to 3 cm. long; panicles often 
long and narrow, 2.4 to 4.8 cm. long; flowers white or blue; pod little 
lobed, but very glandular.—Middle altitudes, foothills and mountains. 

9. C. sorediatus H. & A. Jim-Brush. Shrub 11.5 to 20 dm. high 
with rigid divaricate branches; leaves ovate or elliptic-ovate, green 
above, paler beneath with appressed hairs, glandular-serrate, 8 to 30 mm. 
long; raceme ovate or broadly oblong, 1.2 to 2.4 cm. long; flowers blue or 
nearly white; pod lobed and crested.—Common in the Coast Ranges. 

10. C. incanus T. & G. White-thorn. Tall shrub, with glaucous 
branchlets; branchlets thick, stout and spur-like; leaves elliptical to ovate, 
dark brown above, strongly 3-nerved and pale beneath, 2.4 to 3.6 cm. long; 
flowers white, in a finely velvety raceme or panicle 3.6 to 7.2 cm. long; 
pod warty, lobed at top.—Coast Ranges. 

11. C. macrocarpus Nutt. Shrub 17 to 34 dm. high, with very slender 
branches; leaves elliptic-obovate or cuneate, 1.2 to 2.4 cm. long, entire, 


78 


MALVACEAE 


glabrous above, finely tomentose beneath; flowers white; umbels 1 to sev¬ 
eral on each short branchlet; pod not lobed, with diverging horns.—Moun¬ 
tains from Los Angeles to Santa Maria. 

12. C. cuneatus Nutt. Buck Brush. Rigid divaricately branched 
shrub 14 to 23 dm. high; bark gray; branchlets short and stout; leaves 
obovate or oblong-obovate, green above, paler beneath, 8 to 12 mm. (less 
commonly 24 mm.) long; pod with 3 short erect horns.—Abundant on 
mountain slopes, forming a large part of the chaparral in many places. 

13. C. jepsonii Greene. Rigid shrub 11.5 to 14 dm. high; branchlets 
short, stubby, gray; leaves elliptic-oblong, spiny-toothed; flowers white 
or blue, exhaling a musky odor.—North Coast Ranges. 

14. C. crassifolius Torr. Tall shrub; leaves thick, elliptic-obovate or 
oblong, green and glabrous above, densely white-tomentose beneath, fine¬ 
ly toothed or entire, 1.8 to 2.4 cm. long; pod with 3 stout sub-erect horns 
near the top.—S. Cal. 

MALVACEAE. MALLOW FAMILY 

Herbs or shrubs with alternate leaves and regular flowers. Sepals 5, 
united at base and commonly subtended by an involucel of bractlets. 
Petals 5. Stamens numerous, united into a column. Pistil 1, superior, 
composed of several or many united carpels which either separate when 
ripe or form a single pod.—Species 800 to 900, distributed over the whole 
earth. 

Fruit when ripe separating into separate carpels. 

Styles stigmatic lengthwise on the inside ; fruiting carpels 1-seeded, indehis- 
cent. 

Shrubs; bractlets united into a 2 to 3-lobed involucel, free from the 


calyx .1. Lavatera. 

Herbs. 

Bractlets 3, distinct, inserted on the calyx. 2. Malva. 

Bractlets none (rarely 1).3. Sidalcea. 

Styles with terminal stigma; fruiting carpels 1 to 3-seeded, often splitting into 

2 valves ; bractlets slender or filiform.4. Malvastrum. 

Fruit a 3 to 5-celled capsule; style with terminal stigma; bractlets 3, large, leafy, 
heart-shaped . 5. Gossypium. 


1. LAVATERA L. 

Shrubs with maple-like leaves. Flowers showy, axillary, subtended by 
a 2 to 3-lobed involucel. Pedicels jointed above the middle. Petals re¬ 
flexed after flowering, truncate or shallowlv notched, long-clawed. Fruit 
a whorl of carpels. (One of the Lavater family of Zurich, at the time 
of Tournefort.) 

1. L. assurgentiflora Kell. Tree Mallow. Leaves palmately 5-lobed 
and toothed; petals rose-color.—Cult, as a hedge plant, especially near the 
coast as a wind-break for vegetable gardens. 

2. MALVA L. Mallow 

Annual herbs. Flowers in axillary clusters. Calyx with an involucel 
of 3 distinct bractlets inserted on its base. Petals inversely heart-shaped 
or notched. Fruit a flattened whorl of carpels which separate from the 
central axis as kidney-shaped seed-like pieces. (Greek malache, soft, on 
account of the emollient properties.) 







MALLOW FAMILY 


79 


Carpels not reticulate, puberulent on back; petals much surpassing the calyx. 

1. M. rotundifolia. 

Carpels rugose-reticulate on back. 

Petals much surpassing the calyx; carpels glabrate at maturity, the margin 
entire or only obscurely denticulate ; calyx-lobes mostly closed over 
the mature fruit.2. M. borealis. 

Petals only slightly larger than the calyx; carpels pubescent on the back, the 

margin winged and denticulate ; calyx-lobes spreading or erect. 

3. M. parviflora. 

1. M. rotundifolia E. Dwarf Mallow. Stems procumbent; leaves 
round heart-shaped on very long petioles, crenate, obscurely lobed; petals 
whitish or pale blue.—Weed from Eur. 

2. M. borealis Wallm. Bull Mallow. Widely branching, 4.3 to 
8.6 dm. high; pedicels tending to be reflexed in fruit; petals pinkish.— 
Weed from Eur. 

3. M. parviflora L. Cheese-weed. Habit of no. 2; petals pinkish — 
Weed from Eur. Very common in waste places and useful as a dry 
fodder when dead ripe. 

3. SIDALCEA Gray 

Herbs with rounded leaves. Flowers in terminal racemes or clusters, 
perfect or with staminate and pistillate flowers on different plants. Sta- 
minate flowers often with more or less imperfect pistil and pistillate 
flowers often with more or less imperfect stamens. Bractlets none (rare¬ 
ly 1). Stamen tube double. Fruit consisting of 5 to 9 carpels. (Sida, a 
genus of this family, and Alkea, ancient name for a mallow, alluding 
to the appearance and relationship of-these plants.) 

1. S. diploscypha (T. & G.) Gray. Erect annual 1.6 to 4.8 dm. high; 
basal leaves crenate, the upper more or less parted or divided; flowers in 
terminal clusters; petals truncated or merely retuse.—Valleys or low hills. 

2. S. malvaeflora (Moc. & Sesse) Gray. Checker-bloom. Stems 
erect or ascending, several from a woody perennial root, 4 to 7 dm. high; 
leaves crenate or once or twice palmately cleft; raceme loose, 7 to 28 cm. 
long; flowers of 2 sorts on different plants, one perfect with large corol¬ 
las. the other pistillate with smaller corollas; petals deeply emarginate.— 
Plains, valleys and low hills. 

4. MALVASTRUM Gray. False Mallow 

Herbs or shrubs, mostly hoary-pubescent or tomentose, with com¬ 
monly angular leaves. Flowers commonly in narrowly paniculate ra¬ 
cemes. Bractlets slender or filiform. Carpels 5 or more, 1 to 3-seeded, 
often splitting into 2 valves. (Malva, Mallow, and aster, disparaging 
Latin suffix, not genuine or true.) 

1. M. fasciculatum (Nutt.) Greene. Shrub 1 to 2 m. high, with long 
slender wand-like branches; leaves round-ovate or somewhat heart- 
shaped, irregularly or obscurely lobed, crenate; calyx-lobes ovate, obtuse 
or with a very short point; petals rose-purple, 1.2 to 1.8 cm. long; carpels 
smooth, promptly splitting open.—Dry hills, cent, to S. Cal. 

5. GOSSYPIUM L. Common Cotton 

Herbs or shrubs. Styles united into one; stigmas 3 to 5. Seeds numer¬ 
ous, bearing cotton. (Ancient name of the cotton plant.) 





80 


VIOLACEAE 


Seeds covered with long and short hairs ; flowers white, turning red. 

1. G. hirsutum . 

Seeds covered with long hairs only ; flowers yellow, turning red....2. G. barbadense. 

1. G. hirsutum L. Upland Cotton. Annual; leaves 5-lobed, the 
lobes short, rounded.—Cult., an important cron plant in the Colorado 
Desert (Imperial Co.) ; native of Mexico. The most commonly culti¬ 
vated varieties are Lone Star, Durango. Acala and Mebane’s Triumph. 
Production averages roughly per year about 1000 bales of 500 pounds 
each. 

2. G. barbadense L. Sea-island Cotton. Leaves 5-lobed, the lobes 
ovate-lanceolate.—Less cult, than no. L ; not known wild but probably 
native of the West Indies. Egyptian Cotton is another cultural strain 
of this species. 

HYPERICACEAE. ST. JOHN’S WORT FAMILY 

Ours herbs or the stems slightly woody at base. Leaves opposite, en¬ 
tire, glandular-dotted. Flowers perfect, regular. Sepals 5, persistent. 
Petals 5, yellow. Stamens numerous. Ovary superior; styles 3.—Species 
about 275, mostly temperate and tropical regions in all continents. 

1. HYPERICUM L. St. John’s Wort 

Leaves sessile. Flowers in terminal cymes, rarely solitary. (Ancient 
Greek name.) 

1. H. concinnum Benth. Gold-wire. Perennial; stems wiry, numer¬ 
ous, 1.4 to 2.6 dm. high; leaves linear to lanceolate, usually folded, 1.8 to 
4.2 cm. long; petals black-dotted on the margins.—Foothills, rocky or 
brushy slopes. It is said to poison cattle, but the suspicion is not verified. 

CISTACEAE. ROCK-ROSE FAMILY 

Ours herb-like or woody at base. Flowers complete, regular. Sepals 5, 
persistent, unequal. Petals 5, ephemeral. Stamens indefinite. Ovary 
superior, 1-celled. Capsule 3-valved.—Species about 150, mostly north 
temperate regions, but represented in all continents save Australia. 

1. HELIANTHEMUM Pers. 

Leaves alternate, simple, entire. Flowers yellow, opening but once. 
Style short or none; stigma 3-lobed. (Greek helios, sun, and anthemon, 
blossom.) 

1. H. scoparium Nutt. Rush-Rose. Stems in a rush-like tuft, 1.9 to 
4.8 dm. high, ending in short racemes; leaves linear, 2 to 3 cm. long; 
corolla 1 to 1.5 cm. broad.—Dry slopes and ridges of the chaparral belt. 

VIOLACEAE. VIOLET FAMILY 

Herbs with basal or alternate stipule-bearing leaves and axillary nod¬ 
ding flowers. Sepals 5. Corolla irregular. Petals 5, one of them spur¬ 
red. Stamens 5, conniving about the pistil. Style single. Ovary 1- 
celled, becoming a pod which splits into 3 valves.—About 300 species of 
wide distribution. 

1. VIOLA L. Violet 

Peduncles 1-flowered. Sepals with ear-like lobes at base. Lower petal 



VIOLET FAMILY 


81 


spurred at base. Two lower stamens bearing spurs which project into the 
spur of the corolla. Style club-shaped. (Old Latin name used by 
Virgil.) 


Leaves divided or parted. 

Leaves pinnately twice-parted; petals orange-yellow, the two upper brownish 

externally . 1 . V. douglasii. 

Leaves palmately cleft or divided; petals yellow, purple externally.. -.. 

T , 2. V. lobata. 

Leaves undivided 
Flowers yellow. 

Steins prostrate, stolon-like .3. V. sarmentosa. 

Steins erect 

Peduncles 3.6 cm. long, mostly shorter than the leaves. 

4. V. glabella. 

Peduncles surpassing the leaves. 

Peduncles 9.6 to 12 cm. long; leaves round-ovate, usually with 

truncate base . 5. V. pedunculata. 

Peduncles 4.8 to 9.6 cm. long; leaves rhombic-ovate to oblong. .. 

6. V. purpurea. 

Flowers not yellow. 

Lateral and lower petals white or yellow with # a deep purple spot at 

base ; leaves triangular-ovate...7. V. ocellata. 

Petals blue or violet (rarely white) ; leaves round-ovate.8. V. canina. 


1. V. douglasii Steud. Leaves all basal, arising from a deeply 
seated short rootstock, bipinnatifid into narrow segments; peduncles 4.8 to 
12 cm. long, equaling or exceeding.the leaves; petals orange-yellow, 
brownish on the outside, the others purple-veined, the lateral beardless.— 
Open hillsides. 

2. V. lobata Benth. Pine Violet. Stems erect, naked below, 9.6 to 

33.6 cm. high; leaves ovate or roundish, cordate at base, palmately 3 to 
5-cleft or -divided, 2.4 to 4.8 cm. long; petals yellow, purple on the out¬ 
side.—Woods, often under Yellow Pine. 

3. V. sarmentosa Dougl. Wood V iolet. Stems prostrate, stolon-like, 
sparsely leafy; leaves ovate-cordate, 1.2 to 3 cm. broad, mostly shorter 
than the peduncles ; petals uniform light yellow.—Woods. 

4. V. glabella Nutt. Stems from a short fleshy rootstock, erect, 
slender, naked or sparingly leafy below, 1.6 to 2.8 dm. high; leaves kid¬ 
ney-shaped or cordate, 3.6 to 9 cm. broad, the basal on petioles 9.6 to 

26.4 cm. long, the upper on petioles 8 to 12 mm. long; peduncles about 

3.6 cm. long; petals bright yellow, more or less purple-veined.—Wet 
places in woods. 

5. V. pedunculata T. & G. Yellow Pansy. Peduncles erect, 9.6 or 
12 cm. long, much surpassing the leaves, borne on very short stems which 
arise from a thick and short deeply seated rootstock; leaves round-ovate, 
truncate at base, crenate, 1.2 to 3 cm. long, on petioles 2.4 to 4.8 cm. 
broad; petals golden yellow, the upper dark brown on the outside, the 
others purple-veined within, the lateral bearded.—Open hills. 

6. V. purpurea Kell. Mountain Violet. Plants tufted, 7.2 to 14.4 
cm. high, the stem very short; leaves 1.8 to 3 cm. long; petals yellow, 
brownish-purple on the outside.—Mountain ridges. 

7. V. ocellata T. & G. Western Heartsease. Stems from creeping 
rootstocks, erect, 12 to 28.8 cm. high; leaves cordate-triangular or ovate, 

2.4 to 6 cm. long, the basal long-petioled, the upper short-petioled; stipules 









82 


LOASACEAE 


small, scarious; peduncles shorter than the leaves; upper petals white 
within, the others white or yellow with purple markings at base.—Shady 
woods. 

8. V. canina L. var. adunca Gray. Dog Violet. Stems leafy, 4.8 to 
9.6 cm. high; leaves broadly ovate, often cordate at base, obscurely cre- 
nate, 1.8 cm. to 3.6 cm. long; stipules green, cut-toothed; petals violet- 
purple, or rarely white, the lateral ones bearded on the upper side at base; 
spur as long or much shorter.—Vicinity of the coast. 

LOASACEAE. LOASA FAMILY 

Herbs with either rough or stinging hairs and often white deciduous 
bark. Leaves in ours alternate. Flowers regular. Calyx-tube adnate to 
the ovary, its limb 5-lobed. Petals 5. Stamens usually numerous. Ovary 
1-celled; placentae 2 or 3. parietal. Fruit a capsule.—Species about 120, 
mostly in S. Am. 

1. MENTZELIA L. 

Ours erect annuals or biennials. Leaves coarsely toothed or pinnatifid, 
in age brittle, adhering tightly to clothing by means of barbed hairs. 
Flowers terminal, solitary or cymose, small or showy. Fruit dehiscent 
at the summit. (C. Mentzel, a German botanist of the 17th century.) 

Biennial; capsule oblong; seeds flat, winged....L M. laevicanlis. 

Annual; capsule linear or clavate; seeds cylindric or angular, wingless. 

2. M. gradient a. 

1. M. laevicaulis (Dough) T. & G. Blazing Star. Stem stout, whi¬ 
tish, 5.7 to 10 dm. high; leaves narrowly oblong to lanceolate, sinuate¬ 
toothed, 7.2 to 16.8 cm. long; flowers light yellow, 7.2 to 9.6 cm. broad; 
petals broadly oblanceolate.—Dry gravelly stream beds. 

2. M. gracilenta T. & G. Stems green, 1 to 4.3 dm. high; flowers 
clustered at the summit ; petals yellow, 8 to 12 mm. long; filaments dilated 
and somewhat united at base.—Los Angeles Co. to Monterey Co. 


CUCURBITACEAE. GOURD FAMILY 

Annual or perennial herbs with simple leaves. Corolla sympetalous, 5 to 
7-lobed. Calyx-lobes about 5 or obsolete. Staminate flower with 3 sta¬ 
mens. Pistillate flower with an inferior 1 to 6-celled ovary and 2 or 3 
stigmas. Fruit gourd-like, or dry and splitting open.—About 637 species, 
especially in the tropics. 

Flowers large, staminate and pistillate on separate peduncles ; seeds flattened. 

Both kinds of flowers solitary in the axils. 

Corolla bell-shaped; seeds mostly margined . 1 . Cucurbita. 

Corolla rotately expanded; seeds marginless.2. Citrullus. 

Staminate flowers clustered, the pistillate ones solitary in the axils. 

3. Cucumis. 

Flowers small, the staminate in racemes, the pistillate solitary; seeds large, thick.. 

4. Echinocystis. 

1. CUCURBITA L. Gourd 

Stems prostrate, trailing and vine-like, scabrous. Flowers large, yel- 







CUCURBITACEA.E 


83 


low, solitary. Filaments distinct. Fruit a smooth globose gourd. (Clas¬ 
sical name.) 


Plant annual. 

Leaves lobed; stalks of fruits strongly ridged.1. C. pepo. 

Leaves not lobed; stalks of fruits not strongly ridged.2. C. maxima. 

Plant perennial. 


Leaves triangular-ovate; fruit 3-celled, its pedicel without thickened ridges.... 

3. C. foetidissima. 

Leaves palmately 5-cleft; fruit 5-celled, its pedicel with thickened ridges at 
summit .4. C. palmata. 

1. C. pepo L. Pumpkin. Stems long-running; leaves 3 to 5-lobed; 
corolla-tube widening upwards, the lobes erect; fruit various in form, 
color, size.—Native of America, cultivated by the Indians before the time 
of Columbus. It is not known in a wild state. (Cf. De Candolle, Origin 
of Cultivated Plants.) 

2. C. maxima Duch. Squash. Stems long-running: leaves orbi¬ 
cular or kidney-shaped; corolla-lobes large, widely spreading or droop¬ 
ing; fruit rounded, ovate, or pointed, smooth.—Cult., native country un¬ 
known. 

3. C. foetidissima H. B. K. Calabazilla. Stems 14 to 43 dm. long; 
leaves triangular-cordate or sub-cordate, 9.6 to 19 cm. long: calyx-tube 
1.2 cm. long; corolla 7.2 to 9.6 cm. long; gourd 7.2 to 9.6 cm. in diameter. 
—S. Cal. to the San Joaquin Valley. The roots are used by Spanish- 
Californians as a cleanser and whitener of clothing, the leaves medici¬ 
nally. 

4. C. palmata Wats. Mock Orange. Stems a few m. long; leaves 
palmately 5-cleft; calyx-tube 3.4 cm. long; gourd 7.2 cm. in diameter.— 
S. Cal. to the San Joaquin Valley. 


2. CITRULLUS Forsk. 


Annual or perennial climbing or trailing herbs. Leaves alternate, 
round-cordate, deeply 3 to 5-lobed. Flowers pale yellow, solitary. Sta¬ 
mens cohering by their anthers. Fruit large, fleshy, with hard rind. 
Seeds imbedded in the pulpy placentae. (Diminutive of Latin citrus, 
citron.) 

1. C. vulgaris Schrad. Watermelon. Stems prostrate; pulp of fruit 
edible, consisting of the enlarged pulpy placentae, reddish or rarely white. 
—Cult, from trop. Africa. 

3. CUCUMIS L. Melon 


Climbing or trailing annual herbs. Leaves large, alternate, entire or 
palmately lobed or dissected. Staminate flowers in clusters. Pistillate 
flowers solitary in the axils. Stamens distinct. Fruit a pepo. / Old 
Latin name.) 

1. C. melo L. Muskmelon. Stems long-running, hairy; leaves soft- 
hairy, large, round-cordate or reniform, sometimes rounded-lobed: fruit 
smooth at maturity, pubescent or glabrous, with sweet flesh.—Cult, from 
s. Asia. Var inodorus Naud. Winter Melon. Leaves lighter colored, 
less hairy; fruit with little or no odor.—Cult. Var. reticulatus Naud. 
Nutmeg Melon. Fruits with softer rind, more or less netted on the sur¬ 
face, with muskmelon odor.—Cult. Var. cantalupensis Naud. Canta- 





84 


CRASSULACEAE 


loupe. Fruits mostly hard rinded, more or less warty, scaly or rough 
with muskmelon odor.—Cult. 

2. C. sativus L. Cucumber. Stems long-running, prickly, strongly 
angled; fruit prickly or muricate, mostly oblong.—Cult, from s. Asia. 

4. ECHINOCYSTIS T. & G. Big Root 

Trailing or climbing herbs with large globose or fusiform roots, 
branched tendrils and thin leaves. Flowers small, greenish or white, the 
staminate in axillary racemes or panicles, the pistillate solitary in the 
axils. Calyx-teeth very small or obsolete. Corolla rotate or campanu- 
late. Fruit prickly, bursting irregularly. Seeds large, ovoid or oblong. • 
(Greek echinos, a hedgehog, and kustis, a bladder, in reference to the 
spiny fruit.) 

Corollas rotate or somewhat saucer-shaped staminate racemes mostly with many 
to numerous flowers ; spines more or less puberulent. 

Pistillate flowers without abortive stamens; corolla dull or greenish-white; 

fruit globose ..1. E. fabacea. 

Pistillate flowers with abortive anthers; corolla probably clear white; fruit 

oblong ..2. E. macro carp a. 

Corollas campanulate ; staminate racemes relatively few-flowered; spines puberu¬ 
lent or sometimes glabrous ; fruit ovate or globose-ovate, commonly long- 
beaked .3. E. oregana. 

1. E. fabacea Naud. Common Man Root. Stems 1 to 8 m. long; 
leaves round-cordate, rather deeply 5 to 7-lobed; flowers dull or green¬ 
ish white; fruit globose; seeds 4. —Hills and valleys. 

2. E. macrocarpa Greene. Similar to no. 1 but fruit ovoid or oblong, 
9.6 to 12 cm. long, 12 to 14-seeded.—S. Cal. 

3. E. oregana Cogn. Hill Man Root. Flowers pure white; fruit 
pointed at both ends, sparingly spiny.—Flills about San Francisco Bay 
and n. 


CRASSULACEAE. STONE-CROP FAMILY 


Succulent herbs. Leaves in ours entire, without stipules. Flowers in 
cymes or rarely solitary, small, regular, usually perfect. Sepals, petals 
and pistils usually 5 in ours, and the stamens usually 5 or 10. Petals 
somewhat perigynous, distinct or united below into a tube. Fruit a fol¬ 
licle. Receptacle with a nectar-bearing scale behind each pistil.—Species 
about 600, of wide distribution. 

Leaves opposite; stamens as many as the petals; diminutive annuals....!. Tillaea. 
Leaves alternate; stamens twice as many as the petals; perennials; flowering 
stems from basal rosettes. 

Petals commonly spreading, at least at tip; mostly mat-like plants with 

branching rootstocks ..2. Sedum. 

Petals commonly erect often closely approximate at tip ; coarse plants with 

thick basal leaf rosettes borne on a simple or branched caudex. 

3. Cotyledon. 


1. TILLAEA L. 

Tiny annuals. Flowers very small, in the leaf axils. Sepals, petals, 
stamens and carpels usually 4. Petals distinct or nearly so. (Michael 
Angelo Tilli, Italian botanist.) 

1. T. erecta H. & A. Flowers clustered in the axils; petals and 
sepals subequal; carpels 1 to 2-seeded.—Dry commonly sandy ground. 







SAXIFRAGACEAE 


85 


2. SEDUM L. Stone-Crop 

Flowers yellow or white or reddish-tinged, borne in a cyme. Petals 5, 
distinct or a little united at the base. Stamens 10. (Latin sedeo, to sit, 
on account of the lowly habit.) 

1. S, spatulifolium Hook. Leaves spatulate, often glaucous; rosettes 
close, flat; cyme mostly flat-topped; carpels erect.—Shaded moss-covered 
rocks in the foothills. 

3. COTYLEDON L. Live-for-ever 
Flowering stems with reduced or scale-like leaves. Leaves of the 
rosette thick and fleshy. Flowers in cymes. Petals white, yellow, orange 
or reddish, united at base or below the middle. Stamens 10, borne on 
the corolla-tube. (Greek kotule, a shallow cup, referring to the rosettes.) 

Rosettes very large (1.4 to 1.9 dm. wide), borne on a stout caudex 4.8 to 14.4 

cm. high ; plant densely white-mealy; leaves 4.8 to 6 cm. wide. 

1. C pulverulenta. 

Rosettes medium-sized (1.2 to 7.2 cm. wide), borne at the ground; plants white- 
glaucous to green ; leaves 6 to 36 mm. wide. 

Pedicels stout, shorter than the flowers; flowers yellow; rosettes globose, 


very compact ...2. C. farinosa. 

Pedicels slender, equaling or exceeding the flowers. 

Flowers yellow or orange, sometimes turning reddish in age....3. C. laxa. 
Flowers reddish from the first.4. C. lanceolata. 


1. C. pulverulenta (Nutt.) B. & W. Chalk-Lettuce. Plants 7.2 to 
11.5 dm. high; flowers red, narrow.—Dry rocky slopes, 20 to 2000 ft., sea- 
bluffs or mostly near the sea: Los Angeles Co. to San Diego Co. 

2. C. farinosa Baker. Leaves rather thick; inflorescence compact; 
flowers on very short stout pedicels.—Rocky points and bluffs along the 
ocean shore, Monterey Co. to Del Norte Co. 

3. C. laxa (Lindl.) B. & W. Rock-Lettuce. Leaves relatively thin- 
nish : cyme somewhat loose ; pedicels slender.—Rocky ground, 1100 to 
4000 feet, just back of the sea coast and east across the Coast Ranges to 
the Sierra Nevada foothills. 

4. C. lanceolata (Nutt.) B. & W. Desert Savior. Branches of the 
cyme commonly few, the flowers often rather .few relatively.—Rocky 
ground, 100 to 4000 ft.; Santa Barbara Co. to San Diego Co. The 
watery-fleshy leaves are chewed to assuage thirst in the desert. 

SAXIFRAGACEAE. SAXIFRAGE FAMILY 

Shrubs or perennial herbs. Calyx 5-lobed or -cleft. Petals 5. Sta¬ 
mens commonly 5 or 10. Ovary more or less attached to the calyx, or 
free from it. Fruit a capsule or berry.—About 700 species, widely dis¬ 
tributed. 

Herbs; fruit a pod ; leaves alternate or basal. 

Ovary 2 or 3-celled (or the carpels nearly distinct) ; placentae axile. 


1. Saxifraga. 

Ovary 1-celled; placentae parietal. 

Stamens 10; petals mostly toothed... 2. Tellima. 

Stamens 5; petals entire.3. Heuchera. 

Shrubs. 

Leaves opposite; fruit a dry pod; low trailing shrubs. 4. Whipplea. 

Leaves alternate ; fruit a berry; mostly erect shrubs. 5. Ribes. 










86 


SAXIFRAGACEAE 


1. SAXIFRAGA L. Saxifrage 

Perennial herbs with the leaves in a basal cluster, and the flowers on a 
scape-like peduncle. Calyx either free from or attached to the base of 
the ovary. Petals entire. Stamens 10. Styles 2. Pod 2-celled, 2-beaked, 
or the 2 carpels almost distinct. (Latin saxum, a rock, and frango, to 
break.) 

1. S. californica Greene. Leaves elliptic, serrate, undulate, 1.2 to 4.8 
cm. long; flowers white; calvx-lobes ovate, reflexed; petals roundish, 
often notched, 3 mm. long.—Hill country in rocky places. 

2. TELLIMA R. P,r. 

Perennial herbs with tuber-like rootstocks. Stems simple, bearing a 
simple terminal raceme of white, pink or red flowers. Leaves chiefly 
basal. Calyx campanulate or turbinate, the lower part of tube attached 
to lower part of ovary. Petals inserted in sinuses of calyx, cleft or 
toothed, rarely entire. Stamens 10. Ovary 1-celled. Styles 2 or 3, 
short. Pod conical. (Name an anagram of Mitella.) 

Styles commonly 3 ; petals with claws, white or pinkish. 

Lower half of ovary adherent; calyx-tube turbinate.1. T. af finis. 

Ovary almost wholly free ; calyx-tube truncate or rounded at base. 

2. T. heterophylla. 

Styles commonly 2 ; petals sessile, greenish-white, changing to red. 

3. T. grandiflora. 

1. T. affinis (Gray) Boland. Star of Bethlehem. Stems 2 to 3.8 
dm. high; basal leaves roundish, crenately lobed; upper 3-parted, the 
divisions incised or toothed; racemes about 7 to 10-flowered; petals mostly 
3-toothed.—Open ground. 

2. T. heterophylla H. & A. Similar to no. 1; calyx campanulate; 
petals with a stout tooth on each side.—Shady ground. 

3. T. grandiflora (Pursh.) Dough Fringe-cups. Stems 1 to 7 dm. 
high; leaves roundish, cordate at base, shallowly 3 to 5-lobed, serrate or 
crenate, 4.8 to 9.6 cm. broad; raceme many-flowered; calyx inflated- 
campanulate, 8 to 10 mm. long; petals laciniate-pinnatifid.—Moist woods 
near the coast, Santa Cruz Co. and n. 

3. HEUCHERA L. Alum Root 

Perennial herbs with stout rootstocks. Leaves basal, round-cordate, 
lobed. Stems scape-like, bearing a panicle of small white flowers. Calyx- 
tube adnate to lower half of ovary. Petals clawed, entire. Stamens 5. 
Pod 1-celled, 2-beaked. (J. H. Heucher, 1677-1747, a German professor 
of medicine.) 

1. H. micrantha Dough Plants 2.8 to 8.6 dm. high; herbage hairy; 
inflorescence glandular-puberulent; leaves round- or ovate-cordate, ob¬ 
tusely lobed, crenate, 4.8 to 9.6 cm. long, on long petioles; flowers in an 
ample loose panicle; pedicels longer than the flowers; calyx turbinate at 
base, 2 mm. long; petals, stamens and styles exserted.—Near the coast, 
Monterey Co. and n. 

4. WHIPPLEA Torr. 

Slender trailing undershrub with opposite leaves and clusters of small 
white flowers on a terminal naked peduncle. Calyx-tube adnate to lower 
part of ovary. Stamens 10 (8 to 12). Ovary 3 to 5-celled. Pod split- 





SAXIFRAGE FAMILY 


87 


ting into 3 to 5 one-seeded portions. (Lieut. A. W. Whipple, com¬ 
mander of the Pacific Railroad Expedition from the Mississippi River to 
Los Angeles in 1853 and 1854.) 

1. W. modesta Torr. Leaves ovate or oval-ovate, crenate above the 
middle, 1.8 to 4.2 cm. long, short-petioled; clusters 4 to 9-flowered, the 
flowers soon turning greenish ; petals oblong or ovate, exceeding 2 mm. ; 
pod globose.—Coast Range woods. 

5. RIBES L. 

Shrubs with alternate palmately lobed leaves. Flowers in racemes or 
solitary, the pedicels with bractlets. Calyx-lobes, petals and stamens 
commonly 5. Calyx-tube adnate to the 1-celled ovary and commonly pro¬ 
duced beyond it. Styles 2, distinct or partly united. Fruit a berry. 
(Ancient Arabic name.) 

Stems unarmed ; raceme many-flowered; berry spineless.— Currants. 

Flowers pink or red ; leaves pubescent or tomentulose below. 

Style glabrous; leaves thinnish.1. R. sanguineum. 

Style pubescent; leaves thickish.2. R. malvaceum. 

Flowers greenish-white ; leaves resinous-dotted below. 3.R. bracteosum. 

Stems thorny and often prickly; raceme mostly 1 to few-flowered.— Gooseberries. 
Flowers 5-merous; petals much shorter than calyx-lobes. 

Petals plane ; stems spiny ; berry unarmed. 4. R. divarication. 

Petals involute ; berry prickly. 

Stems prickly. 

Leaves glabrous or nearly so and non-glandular; ovary with 
mostly equal non-glandular bristles ....5. R. californicum. 
Leaves mostly pubescent and mostly glandular below; ovary 
with long and short more or less gland-tipped bristles.... 

6. R. menziesii. 


Stems not prickly .7. R. amarum. 

Flowers 4-merous, showy ; petals as long as calyx-lobes.8. R. speciosum. 


1. R. sanguineum Pursh. Flowering Currant. Erect or strag¬ 
gling shrub 1.4 to 2.5 m. high; herbage more or less glandular-pubes¬ 
cent ; leaves round-cordate, shallowly lobed, finely serrate; racemes erect, 
2.4 to 7.2 cm. long with spatulate or obovate colored bracts; pedicels 
with 2 caducous bractlets at apex; calyx red or reddish, 1.2 cm. long; 
petals white changing to deep red; stamens and style not surpassing the 
petals; berry blue-black, with bloom, sparingly glandular-hirsutulose.— 
High montane. Var. glutinosum B. & W. Racemes drooping.— 
In canons or northward slopes near the coast. 

2. R. malvaceum Smith. More strictly erect and compact shrub; 
leaves conspicuously rugulose; racemes usually erect; ovary white-hairy; 
berry-pulp sweet.—Dry interior hills. 

3. R. bracteosum Dougl. Stink Currant. Stems 1 to 2.3 m. high; 
herbage almost glabrous ; leaves round-cordate in outline, deeply 5 to 
7-lobed, doubly serrate, 7.2 to 24 cm. broad, long-petioled; racemes slen¬ 
der, erect or ascending, 4.8 to 12 cm. long; calyx above ovary rotate or 
saucer-shaped, without distinct tube; petals less than 2 mm. long; berry 
black,, resinous-dotted.—Mendocino Co. and n. 

4. R. divaricatum Dougl. Straggly Gooseberry. Straggling shrub 
11.5 to 17 dm. high; spines at the nodes 1 (or 3) ; leaves roundish, pal¬ 
mately 3 to 5-cleft, the lobes incised and serrate; racemes drooping; pedi¬ 
cels slender, 1.2 cm. long; sepals broadly oblong, green without, dull 








88 


PLATANACEAE 


purple within; petals white, fan-shaped; stamens and style long-exserted, 
the latter cleft, villous at the middle.—Shaded canons and flats. 

5. R. californicum H. & A. Hillside Gooseberry. Compact shrub 
with rigid flexuous branches, 7 to 11.5 dm. high ; leaves roundish, trun¬ 
cate at base, incisely lobed and serrate, the upper surface glandular-shin¬ 
ing, 1.2 to 1.8 cm. broad; pedicels with two bractlets at middle; flowers 
mostly solitary; calyx greenish; petals white; ovary with mostly equal 
non-glandular bristles.—Open hillsides, middle Cal. 

6. R. menziesii Pursh. Canon Gooseberry. Loosely branched 
shrub 1 to 2 m. high; stems prickly as well as spiny, especially on sterile 
shoots; leaves similar to no. 5 but rather larger; pedicels 1 or 2-flowered, 
the bractlets near the flower; calyx purplish; petals white; ovary with 
long and short more or less gland-tipped bristles.—Coast Ranges. 

7. R. amarum McCl. Similar to R. menziesii but the stems not prick¬ 
ly; ovary densely covered with short gland-tipped bristles ; berry with 
more or less glandular spines.—Mountains of S. Cal. 

8. R. speciosum Pursh. Tall evergreen shrub 11 to 28 dm. high; 
stems prickly or almost smooth; leaves small, coriaceous, nearly ever¬ 
green, roundish-elliptic to obovoid, roundish at base, slightly 3-lobed; 
peduncles 1 or 2-flowered; flowers crimson; catyx-tube short, forming a 
swollen ring; stamens exserted; berry very bristly.—Near the coast from 
Santa Clara Co. to Monterey and San Diego. 

PLATANACEAE. PLANE FAMILY 

Trees with large alternate palmately lobed leaves. Buds concealed in 
the hollow base of the petiole. Bark falling away in thin plates. Flowers 
small, greenish, in dense ball-like heads, the staminate and pistillate in 
separate heads, monoecious. Fruit a nut.—Species 6 or 7, in the n. tem¬ 
perate zone. 

1. PLATANUSL. Plane Tree 

The only genus. (Greek platus, broad, referring to the ample leaves.) 

1. P. orientalis L. Oriental Plane. Tree 11 to 23 m. high with 
comparatively short trunk; leaves 3 to 5-lobed, broadly cuneate at base, 
9.6 to 19.2 cm. long, glabrous, the lobes dentate or sinuate; heads ter¬ 
minal on the branches of a drooping axis.—Cult, from the Levant. A 
superior street tree, especially in the south coastal belt. 

2. P. racemosa Nutt. Western Sycamore. Tree 8 to 28 m. high, 
often leaning ; leaves 3 to 5-lobed, usually cordate or truncate, thick, and 
firm, tomentose, 1 to 3 dm. long, the lobes usually entire; heads sessile, 
scattered along a single slender drooping axis.—Stream bottoms in dry 
country. 


ROSACEAE. ROSE FAMILY 

Herbs, shrubs or trees. Leaves alternate, stipulate. Calyx 5-lobed. 
Petals 5 (rarely none). Stamens 10 to numerous, inserted with the petals 
on the calyx below its lobes. Pistils 1 to many, distinct and free from the 
calyx, or united into a 2 to 5-celled ovary which is partly or completely 
inferior. Fruit a pod, achene, pome, or berrv-like.—The Rose Family is a 


ROSACEAE 


89 


large one, consisting of 2000 species, found in all continents but natives 
chiefly of the temperate or cold climates of the northern hemisphere. 
From an economic standpoint it is one of the leading families on account 
of the great number of edible fruits which it produces. It also contains 
a large number of ornamentals as well as plants yielding medicines and 
fragrant oils. No member of this family is poisonous or unwholesome. 

A. Ovary superior. 

Fruit dehiscent, consisting of 2 to 5 dry pods or follicles; shrubs.—M eadow Sweet 
Tribe. 

Pods inflated, 2 to 4-seeded, dehiscent.1. Physocarpus. 

Pods not inflated, 1-seeded, tardily dehiscent or indehiscent....2. Holodiscus. 
Fruit indehiscent; shrubs or herbs. 

Ovary becoming an achene or drupelet.—R ose Tribe. 

Pistils more than 1 ; leaves compound or pinnately lobed. 

Pistils becoming drupelets; fruit called a “berry”.3. Rubus. 

Pistils becoming dry achenes. 

Pistils not disposed on the inside of a large globose receptacle; 
receptacle conic. 

Receptacle fleshy ; leaves 3-foliolate.4. Fragaria. 

Receptacle dry ; leaves pinnate or palmate..--5. Potentilla. 
Pistils disposed on the inside of a globose or urn-shaped calyx- 

tube ; fruit termed a “hip”.6. Rosa. 

Pistil only one; leaves simple. 

Achene with long feathery tail; petals none.7. Cercocarpus. 

Achene not tailed ; petals white..8. Adenostoma. 

Ovary becoming a drupe ; trees or shrubs with simple leaves and caducous 
stipules.— Cherry Tribe. 

Pistils 5 ; drupes 1 to 5 ; flowers dioecious.9. Osmaronia. 

Pistil 1; drupe solitary; flowers perfect.10. Prunus. 

B. Ovary inferior; fruit a pome; trees and shrubs with 
simple leaves.—A pple Tribe. 

Foliage evergreen; flowers small, numerous, in a panicle; fruit bright red, berry¬ 


like .11. Heteromeles. 

Foliage deciduous. 

Flowers in corymbs. 

Fruit a 2 to 5-celled pome with 2 seeds in each cell.12. Pyrus. 

Fruit a 5-celled pome with many seeds in each cell.13. Cydonia. 

Flowers several in a raceme; fruit berry-like.14. Amelanchier. 

1. PHYSOCARPUS Maxim. 


Diffuse shrubs with reddish shreddy bark. Leaves simple. Flowers 
white, in corymbs terminating leafy branchlets. Petals rounded. Sta¬ 
mens 20 to 24. Pistils 1 to 5, becoming inflated pods. (Greek phusa, 
bellows or bladder, and karpos, fruit.) 

1. P. capitatus (Pursh) Ktze. Nine Bark. Leaves roundish or 
ovate, 3-lobed, irregularly serrate, 2.4 to 4.8 cm. long or more; stamens 
alternately long and short.—Along streams or on steep canon sides. 

2. HOLODISCUS Maxim. 

Shrubs with toothed or lobed leaves. Stipules none. Flowers small, 
creamy white, numerous, in terminal panicles. Petals rounded. Stamens 
20. Pods 5, hairy, 1-seeded. (Greek holo, whole or complete, and diskos, 
a disk.) 

1. H. discolor (Pursh) Maxim. Cream Bush. About 8 to 17 dm. 
high; leaves ovate to ovate-elliptic, whitish beneath, coarsely serrate or 














90 


ROSACEAE 


incised above the entire base, 1.8 to 7.2 cm. long; panicle in flower often 
half-drooping; flowers 3 mm. long.—Wooded canons. 

3. RUBUS L. 

Erect trailing or climbing bushes. Leaves simple or pinnate. Stamens 
numerous. Pistils many, crowded on an elevated receptacle, becoming 
drupelets which are united to each other and form the fruit called a 
berry. (Latin name, allied to ruber, red.) 

Berry conical or hemispherical and concave beneath (the drupelets parting from 
the receptacle as a whole). 

Stem unarmed; flowers white; leaves simple.1. R. parviflorus. 

Stem prickly, particularly sterile shoots; leaves compound. 

Flowers red; leaves pubescent or silky beneath, deciduous; berry red 

or yellow..2. R. spectabilis. 

Flowers white; leaves white-tomentose beneath, evergreen ; berry black 

or red.3. R. leucodennis. 

Berry broadly oblong, the drupelets persistent on the receptacle; flowers wdiite ; 

leaves mostly with 3 to 5 leaflets, or a few simple.4. R. vitifolius. 


1. R. parviflorus Nutt. Thimble-berry. Stems 8.6 to 20 dm. high; 
leaves circular in outline, palmately 5 to 7-lobed, 7.2 to 16.8 cm. broad ; 
flowers in corymbs, 2.4 to 4.2 cm. broad, variable in the number of sepals 
and petals; calyx-lobes ovate, terminated by a foliaceous appendage; 
petals elliptic; berry red, low-hemispherical.—Canon streams near the 
coast. 





2. R. spectabilis Pursh. Salmon-berry. Stems 8.6 to 25 dm. high; 
leaves 3-foliolate; leaflets ovate, doubly serrate, more or less lobed, 2.4 to 
4.8 cm. long; flowers 1 to 3 in a cluster; petals 1.2 cm. long; berry large, 
red or yellow.—Margins of 
woods and along streams, 
near the coast. Var. men- 
ziesii Wats. Leaves pubes¬ 
cent or silky beneath.—Cent. 

Cal. coast. 

3. R. leucodermis Dough 
Western Raspberry. Stems 
long and straggling, armed 
with short recurved prickles; 
herbage glaucous; leaflets 3, 
ovate to ovate-lanceolate, 
doubly serrate, green above, 
white with a close tomentum 
beneath, 1.8 to 4.8 cm. long; 
flowers few in a corymb, 1.2 
cm. broad; berry black or 
red.—Mountains. 

4. R. vitifolius C. & S. 

California Blackberry. 

Fig. 2. Stems low and erect, , ,. „ 

or long and trailing or climb- Fig . 2 . Rubus vitifolius c . & S. a, compound 
mg; leaves pmnately 3 to 5- leaf x %; b. simple leaf x c, fl. with 

foliolate (with ovate doubly stamens X 1 ; d, fl. with pistils X 1. 







ROSE FAMILY 


91 


serrate leaflets 1.8 to 6 cm. Ions:) or some of the leaves simple and ovate 
or palmately lobed; petals 1.2 to 1.8 cm. long; berry black.—Along 
streams. 

4. FRAGARIA L. Strawberry 

Perennial herbs propogating by runners. Leaves in a basal tuft, 3- 
foliolate, the leaflets cuneate-obovate and serrate. Flowers white, borne 
in cymes on a naked stem. Calyx bearing 5 bractlets (simulating sepals) 
alternate with the calyx-lobes. Petals roundish, short-clawed. Pistils 
numerous, becoming seed-like achenes borne on the enlarged succulent 
receptacle, the whole popularly termed a “berry.” (Name in reference to 
the fragrance of the berry.) 

1. F. califomica C. & S. Wood Strawberry. Plants 1 to 1.4 dm. 
high; herbage pilose; leaves thin, light green, never with evident reticu¬ 
late veining; petals 6 to 8 mm. long; berry globose; achenes borne on 
the surface of the receptacle.—Coast Range woods. 

2. F. chilensis Duch. Sand Strawberry. Plants 2.4 to 9.6 cm. high; 
herbage hairy except the upper surface of the leaves; leaves thick, dark 
green, with evident reticulate veining; petals 8 to 12 mm. long; achenes 
sunk in pits on the receptacle.—Sandhills along the coast. 

5. POTENTILLA L. Five Finger 

Perennial or woody-based herbs with compound leaves and serrate or 
cleft leaflets. Flowers white or yellow, in terminal cymes. Calyx with 
bractlets as in Fragaria. Stamens 10 to many. Pistils many or numer¬ 
ous, borne on an elevated dry receptacle, becoming achenes. (Diminutive 
of the Latin potens, powerful, some species used medicinally.) 


Stamens 20 to 25 ; filaments filiform ; petals yellow. 

Leaves white-silky beneath; creeping herb.1. P. anserinct. 

Leaves green on both faces ; stems erect.2. P. glandulosci. 

Stamens 10 in 2 rows; filaments dilated; petals white. 

Petals erect or nearly so; calyx-tube deeply cup-shaped.3. P. calif omica. 


Petals spreading rotately; calyx-tube saucer-shaped or cupulate....4. P. lindleyi. 

1. P. anserina L. Silver Weed. Stems slender, prostrate, the leaves 
and peduncles in a basal tuft, crowning the thick root; leaves pinnate, 
white-silky beneath; leaflets 7 to 21, with smaller ones between; petals 
rounded, much exceeding the calyx.—Marshy or springy places along the 
coast or in the mountains. 

2. P. glandulosa Lindl. Plants 2.8 to 8.6 dm. high; leaves pinnate; 
leaflets 5 to 7, broadly ovate or obovate, cuneate at base, 2.4 to 7.2 cm. 
long; cyme lax; flowers small; petals pale yellow, scarcely equaling the 
calyx.—Wooded hills. 

3. P. californica (C. & S.) .Greene. Stems stoutish, erect, 2.8 to 8.6 
dm. high; leaflets 9 to 21, cuneate-obovate to oblong, 1.2 to 4.2 cm. long; 
cyme dichotomously forked; petals about equalling the calyx; filaments 
opposite the calyx-lobes, subulate, the others filiform or nearly so.— 
Wooded slopes or edge of brushy thickets, Coast Ranges from Humboldt 
Co. to Monterey Co. 

4. P. lindleyi Greene. Stems erect or ascending, 1.6 to 4.8 dm. high; 
leaves mostly basal: leaflets roundish to cuneate-obovate, 8 to 14 mm. 





92 


ROSACEAE 


long; cymes rather crowded; petals obtuse, Vs longer than sepals; alter¬ 
nate filaments larger.—Coast, Santa Cruz Co. to Santa Barbara Co. 

6. ROSA L. Rose 

Shrubby prickly plants with pinnate leaves and adnate stipules. Flowers 
large, ours mostly pink, solitary or corymbose. Calyx-tube globose or 
urn-shaped, becoming fleshy in fruit and termed a ‘‘hip.” Petals rounded, 
inserted with the numerous stamens on the edge of the thin disk which 
lines the calyx-tube and bears toward the base the many pistils. Pistils 
becoming achenes. (The Latin name.) 

Prickles slender and straight or none; calyx-lobes at length deciduous from the 

hip: flowers small ...1. R. gymnocarpa. 

Prickles stout, recurved ; calyx-lobes persistent on the hip ; flowers large. 

2. R. californica. 

1. R. gymnocarpa Nutt. Wood Rose. Slender bush, 2.8 to 8.6 dm. 
high, glabrous; leaflets 5 (or 3), elliptic, 6 to 18 mm. long, doubly ser¬ 
rate, the minute teeth gland-tipped; flowers solitary (or in clusters of 2 
or 3) ; corolla 14 to 20 mm. broad; hips ovate or pear-shaped, 8 to 14 
mm. long.—Wooded canons. 

2. R. calif ornica C. & S. California Wild Rose. Stoutish shrub 8.6 
to 17 dm. high; prickles mostly in pairs below the leaves; leaflets 5 or 7, 
ovate or elliptic, 1.8 to 3.6 cm. long; flowers in corymbs; corolla 2.4 to 3 
cm. broad; hips ovate-globose, 1.2 cm. long.—Stream banks or moist 
valleys. 

7. CERCOCARPUS H. B. K. 

Shrubs with the flowers solitary or in clusters on short branchlets. 
Calyx-tube slender and stalk-like, surmounted by the low-hemispherical 
calyx-limb which is at length deciduous. Petals none. Stamens numer¬ 
ous, in 2 or 3 rows. Pistil 1, with a long style. Fruit an achene, en¬ 
closed in the calyx-tube and bearing the twisted tail-like soft-hairy style. 
(Greek kerkis, a shuttle, and karpos, fruit, in reference to the achene and 
its twisted tail.) 

Leaves cuneate-obovate, toothed ; flowers 2 to 5 in a cluster.1. C. betuloides. 

Leaves narrowly lanceolate, obovate, entire; flowers solitary or in pairs. 

2. C. ledifolius. 

1. C. betuloides Nutt. Mountain Mahogany. Shrub or small tree, 
1 to 4 m. high; leaves half leathery, serrate above the middle, conspicu¬ 
ously feather-veined; calyx-tube in fruit 1.2 cm. long, reddish-brown, con¬ 
tracted above; achene leathery, the tail 7.2 long or less.—Middle and 
high elevations in the mountains. 

2. C. ledifolius Nutt. Desert Mahogany. Shrub or small tree, 2 to 
5 m. high; leaves coriaceous, glabrous above at maturity, pubescent below, 
1.2 to 2.4 cm. long, veins obscure.—Desert slopes. The wood is very hard 
and close-grained and is used for tool handles and machine bearings. 

8. ADENOSTOMA H. & A. 

Shrubs with somewhat resinous herbage. Leaves linear, rigid, entire, 
small, numerous and mostly in clusters. Flowers small, white, disposed 
in a panicle of racemes. Calyx 10-ribbed. Petals rounded. Stamens 
10 to 15. Pistil 1. Ovary 1-celled. Fruit an achene. (Greek aden, gland, 
and stoma, mouth, in allusion to the calyx.) 






ROSE FAMILY 


93 


1. A. fasciculatum H. & A. Chamise. Plants 6 to 28 dm. high, the 
virgate branches clothed with leaf clusters; leaves 6 to 10 mm. long.— 
Gregarious and exclusively occupying extensive slopes and mountain 
ridges. 

9. OSMARONIA Greene 

Shrubs with simple entire leaves. Stipules caducous. Flowers white, 
fragrant, in nodding racemes terminating leafy branchlets, the pistillate 
and the staminate on separate plants. Petals erect in the pistillate flower, 
spreading in the staminate. Stamens 15, in 3 rows. Pistils 5, becoming 
drupes. (Osme, Greek adjective meaning fragrant, and Aronia, a genus 
founded by Persoon and now referred to Amelanchier.) 

1. O. cerasiformis (T. & G.) Greene. Oso Berry. Shrub 8.6 to 25 
dm. high; leaves glabrous, broadly oblong, acute at each end, 3.6 to 6 
cm. long when mature; petals 4 to 6 mm. long; drupes 1 to 5, blue-black, 
bitter.—Coast Range hills. 

10. PRUNUS L. 

Trees or shrubs with simple serrate leaves. Flowers white or pink, in 
clusters. Calyx deciduous after flowering. Stamens 15 to 30. Pistil 1, 
becoming a globose, ovoid or oblong drupe. (The Latin name of the 


plum.) 

Leaves conduplicate in the bud. 

Drupe soft-hairy or downy; stone furrowed or pitted. 

Flowers white; fruit with dry flesh.1. P. communis. 

Flowers pink ; fruit with thick edible flesh.2. P. persica. 

Drupe glabrous, without bloom; stone globose, smooth. 

Flowers in short corymbs or lateral clusters. 

Tree; pulp of drupe not bitter.3. P. avium. 

Shrub ; pulp of drupe bitter.4. P. emarginata. 

Flowers in racemes. 


Peduncle leafy; drupe small; its flesh astringent; foliage deciduous.... 

5. P. demissa. 

Peduncle leafless; drupe large, its flesh sweetish; foliage evergreen... 

6. P. ilicifolia. 

Leaves convolute in th^ bud; stone compressed, smooth or nearly so; flowers 


white. 

Flowers in clusters ; drupe with a bloom. 

Tree ; leaves ovate or obovate, 4.8 to 7.2 cm. long.7. P. domestica. 

Shrub ; leaves round to ovate, 1.8 to 4.8 cm. long.8. P. subcordata. 

Flowers solitary or in twos; fruit pubescent or glabrous.9. P. armeniaca. 


1. P. communis Frit. Almond. Tree ; leaves lanceolate, closely ser¬ 
rate; fruit with a dry flesh which at length separates from the softish 
stone.—Cult, from Asia. The more important horticultural varieties in 
Cal. are Nonpareil, Ne Plus Ultra and I X L. 

2. P. persica Sieb. & Zucc. Peach. Tree; leaves broadly or oblong 
lanceolate, serrate; stone deeply pitted and very hard.—Cult, from Persia, 
some of the commoner varieties being the Alexander, Crawford, Muir, 
Salway, Foster and McKevitt Cling. 

3. P. avium L. Common Cherry. Tree; leaves ovate or obovate, 
short-pointed, glossy above; drupe roundish.—Cult, from Eur. The most 
common varieties are Black Tartarian, Royal Ann and Napoleon Bigar- 
reau. 

4. P. emarginata Dougl. Bitter Cherry. Shrub 1 to 3 m. high; 









'94 


ROSACEAE 


leaves oblong-obovate or ovate, 1.8 to 3.6 cm. long; blade with 1 or 2 
glands just above junction with petiole; flowers in short corymbs; drupe 
bright red.—Hills and mountains. 

5. P. demissa Nutt. Choke Cherry. Slender shrub 1.5 to 4 m. high; 
leaves 2.4 to 7.2 cm. long; petioles with 1 or 2 glands near summit; 
flowers in racemes 4.8 to 9.6 cm. long; drupe red or dark purple.—Hills 
and mountains. 

6. P. ilicifolia Nutt. Isi.ay. Evergreen shrub 2 to 5 m. high; leaves 
elliptic or ovate, 2.4 to 4.8 cm. long; flowers 4 mm. long; drupe red 
or dark purple, 12 to 16 mm. thick.—Oakland Hills to S. Cal. 

7. P. domestica L. Common Plum. Tree; leaves ovate or obovate, 
coarsely serrate, usually pubescent beneath, 4.8 to 7.2 cm. long; fruit 
various, but mostly globular or oblong.—Cult, from southwestern Asia. 
The commoner varieties are the Tragedy, Clyman, Wickson, Burbank. 
Greengage and Golden Drop. 

8. P. subcordata Benth. Sierra Plum. Shrub 1 to 2 in. high; leaves 
round to ovate, 5 cm. long or less; flowers 2 to 4 in a cluster; petals 
obovate, 8 mm. long; drupe dark red, 1.8 to 2.4 cm. long; pulp rather 
hard but edible.—Hills and mountains. 

9. P. armeniaca L. Apricot. Tree with reddish bark; leaves ovate 
to round-ovate, abruptly short-pointed, serrate; petioles gland-bearing; 
flowers nearly sessile; fruit when ripe separating from the short stalk: 
stone free, ridged and channeled on one edge.—Native of China, com¬ 
mon in cult. The commoner horticultural varieties are Royal, Pringle, 
Newcastle, Blenheim and Moorpark. 

11. HETEROMELES Roem. 

Evergreen shrub with simple leathery serrate leaves. Flowers numer¬ 
ous, small, white, in a terminal panicle. Stamens 10, in pairs. Pistils 2, 
lightly united and lightly adhering to the fleshy calyx-tube. Fruit a bright 
red berry-like ovoid pome. (Greek heteros, different and melon, an 
apple.) • 

1. H. arbutifolia (Lindl.) Roem. Christmas Berry. Shrub 1 to 4 m. 
high; leaves oblong, acute at each end, 4.8 to 9.6 cm. long; corolla 5 mm. 
broad.—Mountain and hillsides and along streams. Large quantities of 
the fruiting branchlets with their crimson berries are used in Christmas 
decoration. The Spanish-Californians called the shrub Tollon. 

12. PYRITS L. Pear. Apple 

Trees or shrubs with simple leaves and white or pink flowers in 
corymbs. Fruit a 2 to 5-celled pome with 2 seeds in each cell. (The 
Latin name of the pear.) 

1. P. communis L. Common Pear. Tree, the branchlets inclined to 
be thorny; leaves ovate, with small obtuse teeth; flowers white; fruit 
tapering to base.—Cult, from southern Europe and Asia. The most 
COnrmon variety is the Bartlett. 

2. P. malus L. Common Apple. Tree; buds, lower surface of leaves 
(when young) and calyx woolly; leaves ovate or oblong, serrate; flowers 
white, tinged with pink; fruit globose, sunken at both ends.—Cult, from 
Europe and grown in numerous forms. Of the 40 commercial varieties 


LEGUMINOSAE 


95 


of fruits in the United States, the apple is the most common and exten¬ 
sively cultivated. The crop is about 250 million bushels a year. 

13. CYDONIA Miller. Quince 

Shrub or small tree with simple entire leaves and white or pink flowers. 
Fruit a 5-celled many-seeded pome. (The fruits known to the Romans 
as Mala cydonia, apples from Cydon, now Canea in Crete.) 

1. C. vulgaris Pers. Quince. Shrub or small tree with slender spine¬ 
less branches; leaves oval or oblong, entire, pubescent beneath; fruit 
large, yellow, pyriform or globular.—Cult, from Persia. 

14. AMELANCHIER Medic. Service Berry 

Shrubs with simple leaves and white flowers in racemes. Calyx-tube 
attached to the ovary. Stamens about 20. Ovary 5-celled. Styles 5. 
Fruit a berry-like globose pome, the cells 1-seeded. (Savoy name of the 
medlar.) 

1. A. alnifolia Nutt. June Berry. Shrub 2 to 4 m. high ; leaves ellip¬ 
tic, serrate near the apex; petals broadly oblong or cuneate at base, 10 
mm. long; fruit purplish.—Hillsides, very showy in flower. 

LEGUMINOSAE. PEA FAMILY 

Herbs, shrubs or trees with alternate stipulate leaves, in our species 
commonly compound. Calyx 5-toothed or -cleft or 2-lipped. Corolla with 
5 petals, highly irregular and butterfly-like, the upper petal is called the 
banner, the two lateral petals are the wings, and the two lower petals 
coherent by their edges form the keel. Stamens 10, united into 1 set 
(monadelphous), or 2 sets of 9 and 1 (diadelphous), sometimes distinct. 
Ovary 1-celled, becoming a 2-valved pod or legume. 

This family, with about 7,000 species, is the third largest family of 
flowering plants. It is widely distributed in all continents, especially in 
the temperate and tropical zones, and is of the greatest economic import¬ 
ance on account of the large number of useful plants which it contains. 
For variety of product no other order has so great a claim upon our 
attention. Phaseolus vulgaris L. (Bean) and Pisum sativum L. (Pea) 
produce important foods. Trifolium pratense L. (Red Clover), T. repens 
L. (White Clover), Medicago sativa L. (Alfalfa), Vicia sativa L. 
(Vetch) are invaluable fodder plants. Indigofera tinctoria L. (Indigo) 
is the most important of all vegetable dyes. Acacia Senegal Willd. yields 
Gum Arabic. The bark of Acacia arabica L. is a powerful tonic. Dal- 
bergia latifolia Roxb. is East Indian Rosewood, while Haematoxylon 
campechianum L. is the Logwood,—-both valuable timbers. Thousands 
of other useful plants belong to this family. Probably all the species bear 
nodules on their roots which assist in taking up free nitrogen. 

Flowers regular .:.1. Acacia. 

Flowers more or less irregular. 

Leaves simple ; corolla only slightly irregular. 2. Cercis. 

Leaves compound; corolla strongly irregular. 

Calyx 5-toothed. 

Stamens monadelphous or diadelphous. 

Flowers not in umbels. 

Leaflets more than 3. 




96 


LEGUMINOSAE 


Leaves unequally pinnate, that is the rachis ending in 
a leaflet; leaflets many; flowers in racemes, 
spikes or heads. 

Herbs; pods often inflated ; stipels none... 

11. Astragalus. 

Trees; pods flat, never inflated; leaflets with stipels. 

10. Robinia. 

Leaves equally pinnate, the rachis ending in a tendril 
or point; herbs. 

Lobes of the calyx foliaceous; style hairy down the 


inner side .15. Pisum. 

Lobes of the calyx not leafy. 

Style hairy down the upper side. 

14. Lathyrus. 

Style hairy only at summit.13. Vicia. 

Leaflets 3 ; herbs. 


Leaves palniately 3-folioiate ; flowers in a head or head¬ 
like cluster ; corolla withering-persistent. 

7. Trifolium. 

Leaves pinnately 3-foliolate; flowers in racemes or 
spikes ; corolla deciduous after flowering. 

Leaflets with stipels.16. Phaseolus. 

Leaflets without stipels. 

Leaves glandular-dotted; perennial herbs. 

9. PsORALEA. 

Leaves not glandular-dotted. 

Pods small, globose ; annuals or biennials.... 

6. Melilotus. 
Pods spirally coiled or curved; annuals or 

perennial herbs.5. Medicago. 

Flowers in umbels or solitary ; leaves equally or unequally pin¬ 
nate, the leaflets 3 to many, sometimes 1 or 2 ; herbs. .. 

8. Lotus. 

Stamens distinct; flowers solitary; very spiny shrub..3. Pickeringia. 
Calyx 2-lipped. 

Flowers in racemes or spikes, mostly in whorls; leaves palmate, with 

4 to many leaflets.4. Lupinus. 

Flowers in axillary heads or spikes ; leaves pinnate with 4 leaflets. 

12. Arachis. 


1. ACACIA Willd. 

Trees or shrubs with leaves bipinnate or reduced to phyllodia. Flowers 
yellow or straw-color, in spikes, heads, solitary or in clusters. Corolla 
regular. Stamens separate, numerous. Pod various. (The ancient 
Greek name.) 


Leaves reduced to phyllodia. 

Flowers in globular heads. 

Veins of phyllodia 1 .1. A . armata. 

Veins of phyllodia more than 2.2 A. melanoxylon. 

Flowers in spikes; phyllodia whorled.3. A. verticillata. 

Leaves all bipinnaje. 

Pinnae few, 2 to 3 pairs....4. A. baileyana. 

Pinnae many, 8 to 15 pairs.5. A. decurrens. 


1. A. armata R. Br. Kangaroo Thorn. Spreading shrub 2 to 3 m. 
high; phyllodia half-ovate, nerve ending in a point; pods hairy, straight 
or slightly curled.—Cult, from Austr. 

2. A. melanoxylonR. Br. Australian Blackwood. Tree; phyllodia 
oblanceolate to lanceolate, 6 to 10.8 cm. long, with 3 to 6 parallel nerves; 
flowers in short racemes of 3 to 5 heads; pods reddish-brown, twisted, 7.2 

















PEA FAMILY 


97 


to 12 cm. long; seed encircled by double fold of a long red funicle.— 
Cult, from Austr. It yields a valuable timber. 

3. A. verticillata Willd. Whorl-leaf Acacia. Shrub or small tree; 
phyllodia in whorls or scattered, linear-subulate, 12 to 15 mm. long; 
flowers in spikes; pods flat, 2.4 to 7.2 cm. long.—Cult, from Austr. 

4. A. baileyana F. v M. Shrub or small tree with abundant gray 
foliage; leaves alternate, compound, 2.4 to 4.8 cm. long; pinnae 2 to 3 
pairs; leaflets about 20 pairs; flowers in racemes: pod 3.6 to 9.6 cm. long. 
—Cult, from Austr. 

5. A. decurrens Willd. Green Wattle. Tree with more or less 
prominently angled branches; leaves compound; pinnae 8 to 15 pairs; 
leaflets about 30 to 40 pairs, linear; flowers in heads; pods 7.2 to 9.6 cm. 
long, more or less constricted between the seeds.—Cult, from Austr. Its 
bark is a valuable tanning agent. Var. mollis Lindl. Black Wattle. Tree 
5 to 14 m. high with reddish bark showing under fissures; pinnae 8 to 15 
pairs, dark green, shining on upper surface; leaflets many, imbricately 
crowded; flowers pale yellow, blooming in June; pods pubescent.—Cult, 
from Austr. Var. dealbata F.vM. Silver Wattle. Tree, 14 m. or 
more high with smooth bark and gray-pubescent branchlets; leaves silver- 
gray to light green; leaflets less crowded or discrete; flowers deep yel¬ 
low ; pods smooth.—Cult, from Austr. 

2. CERCIS L. Judas Tree 

Shrubs with simple round-cordate leaves and red-purple flowers in fas¬ 
cicles. Corolla only slightly irregular. Stamens 10, distinct. Pod oblong, 
very flat, the upper suture with a winged margin. (Kerkis, Greek name 
of the oriental Judas Tree.) 

1. C. occidentalis Torr. Red-bud. Stems clustered, 2.5 to 2.8 m. 
high; leaves 6 to 7.2 cm. broad.—Foothills. 

3. PICKERINGIA Nutt. 

Very rigid and spiny evergreen shrub. Leaves palmately 1 to 3-folio- 
late, without stipules. Flowers large, purple, axillary, solitary. Stamens 
distinct. (Charles Pickering of the Wilkes Expedition which visited 
California in 1841.) 

1. P. montana Nutt. Pea Chaparral. Densely branched, 1 to 2 m. 
high; flowers 1.8 cm. long.—Dry mountain slopes. 

4. LUPINUS L.* 

Herbs or low shrubs. Leaves palmate with 4 to 15 leaflets. Flowers 
showy, in terminal racemes or spikes. Calyx deeply 2-lipped. Banner 
roundish, the sides mostly reflexed. Wings commonly connivent by'their 
edges in front of and thus inclosing the keel. Stamens monadelphous, 
the anthers alternately oblong and rounded. (Latin lupus, wolf, these 
plants thought to rob the soil of its fertility.) 

By Charles Piper Smith. 

Cotyledons sessile, connate; ovules usually 2 only; annuals.1. L. densiflorus. 

Cotyledons petioled after germination; ovules 2 to 12 or none. 

Plants annual or biennial. 

Flowers whorled. 

Keel ciliate on both upper and lower margins near the claw only; 

upper calyx-lip bifid, lower entire or tridentate. 

2. L. succulentus. 




98 


LEGUMINOSAE 


Keel non-ciliate, or ciliate on upper margins near apex only. 

Pedicels 3 to 8 mm. long; flowers 8 to 16 mm. long; verticils 
few to several; upper calyx-lip cleft, lower bi- or tri- 
dentate; seeds 2 to 3 mm. long. 3. L. nanus. 

Pedicels 1 to 3 mm. long; upper calyx-lip cleft, lower tridentate. 
Banner neither cuneate nor spatulate; keel slender. 

Pods 6 to 9 mm. wide; seeds 4 to 5 mm. long. 

4. L. pachylobus. 

Pods 3 to 5 mm. wide; seeds 2 to 3 mm. long. 

5. L. bicolor. 

Banner cuneate or spatulate; keels short and broad ; seeds 
3 mm. long.6. L. micranthus. 

Flowers not verticillate-whorled; keel ciliate on lower margins near 

claws. 

Racemes longer than peduncles; upper lip of calyx cleft, lower entire 
or tridentate, but see no. 9. 

Longest leaflets 15 to 25 mm. wide; plant with stinging hairs. 

7. L. hirsutissimus. 

Largest leaflets 2 to 15 mm. wide. 

Keel stout, with blunt acumen, densely ciliate on upper 

edge .8. L. truncatus. 

Keel with slender acute acumen.9. L. sparsiflorus. 

Racemes usually shorter than peduncles ; upper calyx-lip bifid, lower 
entire .10. L. stiversii. 

Plants perennial; pedicels slender, 3 to 12 mm. long; floral bracts usually 

early deciduous. 

Keel not ciliate. 

Shrubs or sub-shrubs ; upper calyx-lip cleft, lower entire. 

Tall shrubs; leaves all short-petioled.13. L. chamissonis. 

Low sub-shrubs with long petioles at flowering time. 

14. L. albifrons. 

Herbaceous; leaves silky-pubescent above; calyx-lips notched or 
entire, 6 to 10 mm. long.15. L. formosus. 

Keel ciliate on upper margins. 

Keel ciliate from the claws to about the middle; upper calyx-lip 
notched, about 4 mm. long, lower entire, about 6 mm. long ; 
herb ...11. L. latifolius. 

Keel ciliate from near apex to the middle ; upper calyx-lip notched 

or retuse, 6 to 8 mm. long, lower entire; tall shrub. 

12. L. arboreus. 

1. L. densiflorus Benth. Plant 2 to 5 dm. high, simple or branched; 
leaves long-petioled, glabrous above; racemes 15 to 25 cm. long, the 
whorls 5 to 12; flowers 14 to 18 mm. long, spreading during and after 
anthesis; upper calyx-lip short, scarious, lower lip much longer, green; 
petals lilac or rose; banner elliptic; keel ciliate on upper edges; pods 
ovate-oblong.—San Francisco Bay Region. 

2. L. succulentus Dough Fig. 3. Plant 2 to 6 dm. high, stout, 
branched; leaves long-petioled, glabrous above; racemes 6 to 30 cm. long; 
flowers 12 to 17 mm. long, approximate in 4 to 8 whorls, spreading in 
anthesis, ascending later; petals deep blue to almost white, the banner 
with yellow center turning violet; keel somewhat curved; pods about 5 
cm. long,—Butte Co. to S. Cal. 

3. L. nanus Dough Plant erect, 2 to 6 dm. high, simple or branched; 
leaves long-petioled; racemes 6 to 20 cm. long; verticils well separated; 
bracts deciduous; petals rich blue, rarely pink, the banner with white or 
yellow, center changing to violet; pods appressed-pubescent, 20 to 35 mm. 
long; ovules usually 4 to 8; seeds 2 to 3 mm. long.—Coast Ranges; 
Sierra foothills. 















PEA FAMILY 


99 



4. L. pachylobus Greene. Plant 1 to 3 dm. high, stout; racemes of 2 to 
4 whorls; flowers few, 6 to 8 mm. long; petals blue, banner suborbicular, 
6 to 8 mm. wide, with a white 
center; pods especially large, 

25 to 30 mm. long, 6 to 8 mm. 
wide.—Grassy hills. 

5. L. bicolor Lindl. var. 
microphyllus C. P. Smith. 

Plant 1 to 4 dm. tall; flowers 

4 to 12 mm. long; keel cili- 
ate; ovules 5 to 8; banner 
elliptic to orbicular-obovate; 
pods 15 to 20 mm. long, 3 to 

5 mm. wide.—Low hills and 
valleys. 

6. L. micranthus Dougl. 

Plants 1 to 4 dm. tall; leaves 
glabrous or sparsely hairy 
above; racemes 1 to 8 cm. 
long, the whorls 2 to 7; 
flowers 5 to 8 mm. long; 
petals blue and white; ban¬ 
ner cuneate or spatulate, the 
center turning violet, the 
sides scarcely reflexing : keel 
short and broad; pods 25 to 
30 mm. long; seeds oblong, 
th'ck.—Commonly abundant. 

7. L. hirsutissimus Benth. 

Plants 2 to 6 dm. high, hir¬ 
sute with nettle-like stiff 
hairs; racemes 10 to 25 cm. 
long with scattered flowers; 
flowers 13 to 15 mm. long, 
spreading; upper calyx-lip 
cleft, lower entire or tridentate; petals violet or lilac; banner sub- 
orbicular; keel stout, straight; pods 25 to 35 mm. long, very hirsute.— 
San Mateo Co. to S. Cal. 

8. L. truncatus. Nutt. Plants 3 to 6 dm. high, branched; leaves many, 
glabrate, the petioles flattened; racemes 6 to 15 cm. long, lax and few- 
flowered; flowers 10 to 12 mm. long, spreading or drooping after an- 
thesis; bracts usually persistent ; upper lip of calyx bifid, lower entire 
or tridentate; petals violet or paler purple; pods spreading, about 3 cm. 
long, villous.—Monterey to S. Cal. 

9. L. sparsiflorus Benth. Plants 2 to 4 dm. high, slender; leaves 
hairy or glabrate above; racemes 8 to 20 cm. long; flowers 8 to 13 mm. 
long, spreading in anthesis; bracts villous, deciduous; petals bright blue 
or purplish, the banner with a yellow spot; keel curved; pods ascending, 
12 to 18 mm. long.—S. Cal. 


Fig. 3. Lupinus succulentus Dougl.; a, fl. 
branchlet xM ; b, upper calyx-lip ; c, lower 
calyx-lip; d, banner; e, wing; f, keel. xl. 






100 


LEGUMINOSAE 


10. L. stiversi Kellogg. Plants 15 to 45 cm. high, the branches 
ascending; leaves lorfg-petioled, appressed-pubescent both sides; racemes 
1 to 3 cm. long, few-flowered; flowers about 15 mm. long; banner bright 
yellow, the wings rose-pink or purple; keel nearly straight; pods about 
20 mm. long; seeds flat, angled.—Sierra Nevada; San Bernardino Mts. 

11. L. latifolius Agardh. Plants 6 to 12 dm. high; leaves largest 
near the middle of the stem; petioles and leaflets 4 to 10 cm. long, the 
latter 10 to 30 mm. wide; racemes 15 to 45 cm. long, rather lax; flowers 
10 to 14 mm. long, whorled or scattered; bracts early deciduous; calyx 
minutely bracteolate; petals blue or purple, rarely yellowish, fading 
brown; banner suborbicular, glabrous; wings truncate or incurved on 
lower free margin, the keel somewhat exposed; pods dark brown, about 
3 cm. long by 6 to 8 mm. wide.—Humboldt Co. to Los Angeles Co. 

12. L. arboreus Sims. Tree Lupine. Branching shrub with a dis¬ 
tinct trunk or rarely low and caespitose, 4 to 24 dm. high; racemes 10 to 
30 cm. long; flowers 14 to 18 mm. long, scattered or whorled; petals 
broad, commonly bright yellow, but sometimes lilac, blue, or violet; ban¬ 
ner suborbicular, glabrous; keel curved; pods dark brown, 5 to 8 cm. 
long by 8 to 12 mm. wide.—Coastal sands and canons, Humboldt Co.*to 
Santa Barbara Co. 

13. L. chamissonis Esch. Erect branching shrub 3 to 9 dm. high; 
leaves many, silky on both sides; racemes 6 to 15 cm. long; flowers 12 
to 16 mm. long, scattered or subverticillate; petals blue or lavender, the 
banner with a yellow center, pubescent on the back near apex; keel arcu¬ 
ate; pods brown.—San Francisco to Los Angeles Co. 

14. L. albifrons Benth. Somewhat tree-like shrub 6 to 15 dm. high; 
herbage appressed silvery-silky; leaves many; leaflets 7 to 10; racemes 8 
to 30 cm. long; flowers 10 to 14 mm. long, whorled; bracts early de¬ 
ciduous; petals blue or purplish, the banner more or less pubescent on the 
back near the apex, with white or yellow center early changing to 
violet; keel narrowed toward the base; pods dull yellow, 3 to 5 cm. long, 
about 8 mm. wide.—Coast Ranges. 

15. L. formosus Greene. Plants 3 to 8 dm. tall; racemes 10 to 25 cm. 
long; flowers usually whorled, 12 to 16 mm. long; petals rich purple, blue, 
lilac or white; banner suborbicular, 11 to 14 mm. wide; keel slender; 
pods silky, 30 to 35 mm. long.—Butte Co. to San Diego Co. 

5. MEDICAGO L. Medick 

Herbs. Leaves pinnate with 3 leaflets. Flowers small, in racemes or 
short spikes on axillary peduncles. Stamens diadelphous (9 and 1). Pod 
small, 1 to several-seeded, not splitting open, incurved, coiled or spirally 
twisted. (Greek Medike, name given by Dioscorides to a plant from 
Media, perhaps lucern.) 

1. M. sativa L. Alfalfa. Perennial; herbage glabrous or slightly 
pubescent; leaflets oblong-obovate or linear-oblong, 1.2 to 2.4 cm. long; 
flowers blue, 1 cm. long, disposed in racemes; pod spirally twisted into 2 
or 3 coils.—Cult. It is a native of western Asia and has been cultivated 
for 20 centuries. Brought to California in 1854, it is our “King of For¬ 
age Plants,” often producing ten tons of hay per acre each year. As a 


PEA FAMILY 


101 


bee plant it is also esteemed, sometimes yielding 60 pounds of honey to 
the acre. 

2. M. hispida Gacrtn. Bur Clover. Branches spreading or procum¬ 
bent; herbage nearly glabrous; leaflets obovate or obcordate; peduncles 

3 to 5-flowered; flowers yellow, small; pod compressed, twisted into a 
close spiral of 2 or 3 turns, the keeled edge with a double row of curved 
or hooked prickles.—Common naturalized plant, native of Eur. It is 
highly valued as a dry fodder on the ranges in the long rainless sum¬ 
mers of California. 

6. MELILOTUS Hill. Sweet Clover 

Annual or biennial herbs. Leaves pinnate with 3 leaflets. Flowers 
small, yellow or white, erect in the bud, deflexed in anthesis, disposed 
in spike-like racemes on axillary peduncles. Pod ovoid, leathery, wrinkled, 
1 to 2-seeded. (Greek meli, honey, and lotus, the ancient name for some 
plant belonging to this family.) 

1. M. alba Desr. White Melilot. Stem branching above, 8 to 17 
dm. high; leaflets oblong, serrate except at the very base; flowers white, 

4 mm. long.—River beds or moist valleys; nat. from Eur. It is culti¬ 
vated for fodder, though animals do not take kindly to it at first. 

2. M. indica All. Yellow Melilot. Stem branching, 4 to 8 dm. 
high; leaflets cuneate-obovate, serrate, except at base, retuse at apex; 
flowers yellow.—Nat. from Eur. It is cultivated as a cover plant for 
green manure, and has a secondary value as forage. 

7. TRIFOLIUM L. Clover" 

Herbs. Leaves palmate, commonly with 3 leaflets. Flowers in a head 
or very short spike. Stamens in 2 sets (9 and 1). Pod 1 to 6-seeded. 
(Latin tres, three, and folium, leaf.) 


Heads not subtended by an involucre. 

Flowers nearly or quite sessile ; annuals. 

Heads pedunculate, elongate-ovate, small.1. T. albopnrpureum. 

Heads large, globose.2. T. dichotomum. 

Flowers pediceled, at length reflexed. 

Annuals. 

Plant strictly glabrous. 

Calyx-teeth with ciliated margins.3. T. ciliatum. 

Calyx teeth with entire, not ciliated margins.4. T. gracilentum. 

Plant pubescent on the petioles and peduncles ; leaflets bifid. 

5. T. bifidum. 

Perennials. 


Plant small; calyx glabrous ; flowers cream color.6. T. repens. 

Plant large. 

Calyx sparsely pubescent: flowers tinged with pink. 

7. T. hybridum. 

Calyx hairy ; flowers rose-red.8. T. pratense. 

Heads subtended by an involucre ; annuals. 

Corolla not becoming inflated. 

Involucre cup-shaped, not deeply lobed; flowers developing equally all 
around. 

Lobes of involucre toothed.9. T. microdon. 

Lobes of involucre entire.10. T. microcephalum. 

Involucre flat, rather deeply lobed, the lobes laciniately toothed ; flowers 
commonly blooming earlier on one side, and the heads therefore 
one-sided : herbage mostly glabrous. 

Margins of involucre lobed but not toothed ; calyx-teeth dilated. 

11. T. tridentatum. 













102 


LEGUMTNOSAE 


Margins of involucre lobed and toothed ; calyx-teeth not dilated. 

Flowers small, enclosed within 1 or 2 involucres.. 

12. T. variegatum. 

Flowers large, each floral whorl subtended by an involucre. 

13. T. involucratum. 

Corolla conspicuously inflated in age. the petals withering-connivent by their 
tips and forming a bladder-like sac to the growing pod. 


Involucre large, lobes lanceolate.14. T. fucatum. 

Involucre small, lobes obtusely rounded..15. T. amplsctens. 

Involucre reduced to a ring.16. T. depauperatiim. 


1. T. albopurpureum T. & G. Stems ascending or erect, 9.6 to 33 cm. 
high; leaflets oblong-obovate, denticulate toward the apex; heads ovate, 
6 to 16 mm. high, on long slender peduncles; corolla purple, white-tipped. 
—Lower hills. 

2. T. dichotomum H. & A. Similar to no. 1; stems dichotomously 
branching; heads cylindrical, 1.6 to 2 cm. long, mostly with turbinate 
base.—Hills at middle altitudes. 

3. T. ciliatum Benth. Jaybird Clover. Plants erect, 2 to 4 dm. 
high, glabrous; leaflets cuneate-oblong to obovate, serrulate, 1 to 2.4 cm. 
long; flowers whitish or purplish: calyx-teeth lanceolate, rigidly cilio- 
late; pod 1-seeded.—Plains, valleys and low hills. 

4. T. gracilentum T. & G. Pin-point Clover. Plants erect, 2.4 to 

3.8 dm. high, wholly glabrous; rachis often prolonged through heads 
as a sterile point: corolla reddish or deep purple, the ends of the petals 
more or less white-tipped: pod 2-seeded.—Valleys and low hills. 

5. T. bifidum Gray. Plants slender, pale green and glaucous, gla¬ 
brous, or hairy only on the petioles and peduncles; leaflets linear to 
obovate, bifid at apex, with a rnucro in the notch; flowers pale pink; pod 
1-seeded.—Hills and valleys. Var. decipiens Greene. Leaflets less not¬ 
ched; calyx often hairy. 

6. T. repens L. White Clover. Plant low, creeping: leaves long- 
petioled; leaflets obcordate and obscurely toothed; heads long-peduncled 
from the ground; flowers white.—Lawns and pastures; cult, from Eur. 

7. T. hybridum L. Alsike Clover. Stems ascending or nearly erect, 

2.8 to 8.6 dm. high; leaflets obovate, serrulate; heads small, loose, nearly 
globular; flowers rose-color, or white on top of head.—Moist lands, nat. 
from Eur. 

8. T. pratense L. Red Clover. Stems ascending, 3 to 4 dm. high; 
somewhat hairy; leaflets oval or obovate, sometimes notched at the 
end, marked with a large spot; heads globular, ovate, sessile; flowers 
red-purple.—Cult, from Eur. 

9. T. microdon H. & A. Stems stoutish, erect or decumbent; herbage 
faintly pubescent; leaflets broadly obcordate, serrulate, 1.2 cm. long; 
heads 8 mm. broad; involucre 12 to 15-lobed, the lobes 3 to several¬ 
toothed and spreading abruptly from the head after the flowering period; 
corolla white, fading pinkish.—Valleys and plains. 

10. T. microcephalum Pursh. Stems slender, erect or decumbent; 
herbage soft-pubescent; leaflets obovate, serrulate, notched at apex; heads 
6 mm. broad; involucre about 9-lobed, the lobes erect, acuminate, cus¬ 
pidate, entire; corolla white or rose-color.—Hillsides and valleys. 

11. T. tridentatum Lindl. Stems mostly erect, 2 to 5 dm. high; leaflets 







PEA FAMILY 


103 


linear or lanceolate, sharply serrate; heads 2.4 cm. broad or more; in¬ 
volucre laciniate, much shorter than the flowers; calyx-tube strongly 10- 
nerved, the lobes-usually 3-toothed; corolla bright purple, often tipped 
with white.—Hills and valley plains. 

11. T. variegatum Nutt. White-tip Clover. Stems decumbent or 
ascending; leaflets obovate to oblong-oblanceolate, spinulose-serrulate; in¬ 
volucre laciniate, shorter than the heads; heads 3 to 15-flowered, 1.2 cm. 
broad or less; calyx-tube 15-nerved, its teeth entire; corolla deep purple 
or whitish; pod 2-seeded.—Low moist ground. Var. melananthum 
Greene. Heads 2.4 broad.—Low wet ground. 

13. T. involucratum Ortega. Cow Clover. Stems decumbent, stout 
or even fistulous; leaflets obovate-oblong, denticulate; heads hemispheri¬ 
cal, 2.4 cm. broad; involucre laciniately cleft, the tooth-like segments 
awned; calyx-tube scarious, 10-nerved, the alternate nerves less promi¬ 
nent, the lobes entire or some toothed; corolla rose-red; banner elliptical, 
deeply notched.—Springy places and along streams. 

14. T. fucatum Lindl. Sour Clover. Stems stout and succulent, much 
branched, diffuse or decumbent; herbage glabrous; leaflets obovate to 
inversely deltoid, spinulose-serrate or nearly entire; heads 2.4 to 4.2 cm. 
broad; corolla cream-color, fading pinkish, 1.4 to 2 cm. long; keel-petals 
frequently with a dark-purple spot : pod with a rather long stipe.—Valley 
levels, especially in alkaline places. 

15. T. amplectens T. & G. Branches several from the base, decum¬ 
bent or ascending, 7.2 to 36 cm. long; leaflets oblong-obovate, serrulate 
mostly toward the apex; heads 6 to 12 mm. broad; bracts of the involucre 
5 to 7, ovate or oblong, 1.2 to 3.6 cm. long, commonly entire; corolla 
red-purple or whitish.—Valleys, alkaline plains or low hills. 

16. T. depauperatum Desv. Similar to no. 15 but smaller and in¬ 
volucre reduced to small truncate lobes or a minute ring; corolla white 
or purple.—Hill country. 

8. LOTUS L. 

Herbs or some woody at base. Leaves pinnate, of 1 to many leaflets. 
Flowers in umbels or solitary. Stamens in 2 sets (9 and 1). Pods flat¬ 
tened or terete, 2 to several-seeded. (A Greek name.) 

Flowers and pods erect or at least not reflexed ; pods dehiscent. 

Stipules large ; leaflets mostly equally distributed on the opposite sides of the 

rachis ; flowers in umbels ; banner yellow ; wings pink ; perennials. 

1. L. formosissimus. 

Stipules gland-like; leaflets commonly unequally distributed on the opposite 
sides of the rachis ; flowers solitary; annuals. 

Flowers in an elongated bracted peduncle. 

Corolla twice as long as the calyx; pods constricted between the 

seeds ; herbage glabrous.2. L. micranthus. 

Corolla scarcely exceeding the calyx ; pods not constricted ; herbage 

villous-pubescent.3. L. americanus. 

Flowers short-pediceled, not bracted ; corolla much exceeding the calyx. 
Calyx-teeth linear, much longer than the tube; pods oblong, 2 or 

3-seeded .-.4. L. humistratus. 

Calyx-teeth equalling the tube; pods linear, 5 to 7-seeded.. 

5. L. snbpinnatus. 

Flowers and pods reflexed; umbels sessile; stipules gland-like; pods with long and 
often curved points, 1 to 2-seeded, indehiscent.6. L. glaber.. 








104 


LEGUMINOSAE 


1. L. formosissimus Greene. Stems several from a thick and rather 
soft root, decumbent; herbage green and glabrous; leaflets 5 to 7, obo- 
vate or some deltoid, 6 to 16 mm. long; umbels 4 to 6-flowered, 3-folio- 
late-bracted, on peduncles 2.4 to 4.8 cm. long; flowers exceeding 1.2 cm. ; 
banner and keel yellow; wings purplish or white; pod straight, 3 cm. 
long, about 2 mm. broad.—Seaboard species, in wet grounds. 

2. L. micranthus Benth. Simple or diffuse, 7.2 to -14.4 cm. high; 
leaflets 3 to 5, mostly 4, with one leaflet terminal and two on one side of 
the rachis and one on the other obovate to oblong, 4 to 10 mm. long; 
corolla minute, pale salmon color, turning red ; pod linear, 14 to 20 mm. 
long.—Grassy hills, Coast Ranges. 

3. L. americanus (Nutt.) Bisch. Spanish Clover. Stems more or 
less branching, erect or diffuse, 2 to 4 dm. high; leaflets 1 to mostly 3, 
ovate to oblong, 6 to 24 mm. long or more: corolla whitish or pinkish, 4 
to 6 mm. long; pod narrowly linear about 2.4 cm. long.—Dry hills and 
plains. 

4. L. humistratus Greene. Hill Lotus. Plants commonly forming 
mats 1.2 to 2 dm. broad; herbage soft-hairy; leaflets 4, narrowly oblong 
or cuneate-obovate, 6 to 10 mm. long, the rachis very broad; flowers ses¬ 
sile or nearly so; calyx-teeth much longer than the tube; corolla yellow, 
6 to 8 mm. long; pod oblong, hairy, 2 or 3-seeded.—Sunny clay hillsides. 

5. L. subpinnatus Lag. var. wrangelianus Jepson. Diffusely branched, 
9.6 to 16.8 high; herbage short-pubescent or nearly glabrous; leaves as in 
preceding; flowers distinctly pediceled; corolla bright yellow, 8 to 9 mm. 
long; calyx-teeth as long as tube; pod linear, pubescent, 5 to 7-seeded.— 
Hill country. 

6. L. glaber (Vogel) Greene. Deer-weed. Stems tufted and reed¬ 
like, woody at base, the foliage often sparse; leaflets 4 to 6, mostly 3, 
oblong to linear-oblong, 6 to 12 mm. long; calyx-teeth subulate, as long 
as tube; corolla yellow, turning red, 6 to 8 mm. long.—Dry hills. 

9. PSORALEA L. 

Perennial herbs with heavy-scented dark-dotted herbage. Leaves with 
3 leaflets. Flowers purple or whitish, in spikes or racemes. Pod seldom 
exceeding the calyx, 1-seeded, not splitting open. (Greek psoraleos, 
scurfy or rough, the glands wart-like in some species.) 

Stems prostrate; leaves and peduncles erect; flowers racemose; stamens diadel- 


phous..1. P. orbicularis. 

Stems erect. 

Flowers in spikes, purple; tenth stamen nearly free.2. P. macrostachya. 


Flowers in racemes, greenish-white; stamens monadelphous....3. P. physodes . 

1. P. orbicularis Lindl. Stems prostrate, creeping and root.ng, the 
long-petioled leaves and peduncles erect ; leaflets roundish or obovate, 6 
to 7.2 cm. long; flowers purplish, in racemes; stamens diadelphous.— 
Grassy vales or meadows. 

2. P. macrostachya DC. Leather Root. Plants 1 to 3 m. high, 
branching; leaflets ovate-lanceolate, 3.6 to 7.2 cm. long; peduncles much 
exceeding the leaves; calyx-teeth exceeding the petals; tenth stamen 
nearly free.—Rivers, canon streams and marshes. 

3. P. physodes Dough About 2 dm. high ; leaflets ovate and acute. 




PEA FAMILY 


105 


or roundish, 2.4 to 4.8 cm. long; racemes short, dense; calyx-teeth rather 
more than y 2 as long as the corolla; corolla 10 to 12 mm. long; stamens 
monadelphous.—Bushy or wooded hills. 

10. ROBINIA L. Locust 

Trees or shrubs. Leaves pinnate, often with spines or prickles for 
stipules. Flowers showy, in axillary racemes. Calyx 5-toothed, the two 
upper teeth partly united. Standard large, turned back; keel incurved, 
blunt. Pod broadly linear, flat, several-seeded. (Jean Robin, father, and 
Vespasien Robin, son, herbalists to Henry IV of France.) 

1. R. pseudacaciaL. Common Locust. Tree; branchlets naked; ra¬ 
cemes slender and loose-hanging; flowers fragrant, white; pods smooth.—• 
Cult, from the e. U. S. It was used as a shade tree by the American set¬ 
tlers in California from the earliest days. 

11. ASTRAGALUS L. Rattle-weed. Loco-weed 

Herbs with pinnate leaves. Flowers in spikes, racemes or heads. 
Corolla usually long and narrow. Stamens diadelphous. Pod 2 to many- 
seeded, usually turgid or inflated and bladder-like. (Ancient Greek name 
for some leguminous plant.) 

Pods strongly inflated; perennials. 

Pods stipitate. 

Stipe not more than twice as long as calyx.1. A. oxyphysus. 

Stipe more than twice as long as calyx.2. A. leucophyllus. 

Pods not stipitate. 

Pods glabrous or sparsely pubescent. 

Seed-bearing suture somewhat intruded; stipules distinct. 

3. A. douglasii. 

Seed-bearing suture not intruded: stipules meeting or united on 


opposite side of stem from leaf.4. A. menziesii. 

Pods rather densely pubescent.5. A. hornii. 

Pods not strongly inflated. 

Perennials. 

Pods stipitate .6. A. trichopodus. 

Pods not stipitate.7. A. pycnostachyus. 

Annuals; pods not stipitate. 

Pods elliptic-ovate, 2-seeded, wrinkled transversely. 

Pods erect, little exserted from the calyx.8. A. didymocarpus. 

Pods deflexed, well exserted from the calyx.9. A. nigrescens. 

Pods linear or nearly so, several to many-seeded, not wrinkled trans¬ 
versely ..10. A. teiter. 


1. A. oxyphysus Gray. Stems rigid, erect, 5 to 8 dm. high; leaflets 
15 to 23, oblong to linear-oblong; racemes elongated; flowers white or 
greenish-white, 14 to 16 mm. long; pods semiobovate, 3.6 to 4.8 cm. long; 
seeds numerous.—Inner South Coast Ranges. 

2. A. leucophyllus T. & G. Stems erect, stoutish, 5.7 to 8.6 dm. high; 
leaflets 21 to 31, narrowly oblong or linear, 12 to 20 mm. long; ra¬ 
ceme densely flowered and long-peduncled; flowers yellowish white; pods 
on a long thread-like stipe, 3 to 3.6 cm. long.—Low dry hills, inner ranges, 
cent. Cal. Said to be poisonous to horses and sheep. 

3. A. douglasii (T. & G.) Gray. Stems ascending, 3 to 8 dm. high; 
leaflets 15 to 25, linear to oblong-linear; racemes many-flowered; flowers 
whitish or yellow, spreading; pods remarkably inflated, oblong to ovate.— 
South Coast Ranges to the mts. of S. Cal. 

4. A. menziesii Gray. Stems erect or decumbent, 2.8 to 11.5 dm. high ; 











106 


LEGUMIN OSAE 


leaflets usually many, oblong or oblong-ovate; racemes dense; flowers 
whitish; pods early reflexed, ovoid.—Sandy slopes near the coast. 

5. A. hornii Gray. Sheep Loco. Stems slender, widely spreading, 
8.6 to 11.5 dm. long; leaflets about 21, narrowly oblong; flowers in dense 
capitate spikes, yellowish-white; pods broadly ovate, acuminate, straight, 
pilose, 6 to 15-seeded.—Upper San Joaquin Valley to the San Bernardino 
Valley. 

6. A. trichopodus Gray. Stout, erect, 3 to 8 dm. high; leaflets numer¬ 
ous, narrowly oblong or cuneate-oblong; racemes short, dense; flowers 
yellowish-white; pods narrowly elliptic.—Santa Barbara Co. to Los An¬ 
geles Co. 

7. A. pycnostachyus Gray. Stem rather stout, 3 to 8 dm. high; leaf¬ 
lets 23 to 31, narowly oblong, crowded; flowers whitish or yellowish, in 
dense spikes; pods ovate, veined, retrorsely imbricated.—Along the coast. 

8. A. didymocarpus H. & A. Slender pubescent plants 7.2 to 24 cm. 
high; leaflets oblong to linear and more or less cuneate, notched at apex, 
6 to 10 mm. long; spikes capitate or oblong; flowers 3 to 5 mm. long, 
dull purplish; calyx black-hairy; pods erect, little exserted from the 
calyx.—Low hills. 

9. A. nigrescens Nutt. Similar to no. 8; spikes cylindrical; pods de- 
flexed, well exserted from the calyx.—Hill country. 

10. A. tener Gray. Slender plants 9.6 to 21 cm. high; leaflets 9 to 15, 
linear or cuneate ; flowers purple and white, 10 mm. long, in a capitate 
inflorescence; pod silvery when young, glabrous when mature, 1.6 cm. 
long, 5 to 10-seeded.—Alkaline fields. 

12. ARACHIS L. 

Annual herbs with pinnate leaves. Leaflets 4. Flowers in a dense 
axillary sessile spike. Ovary stipitate. Stipe elongating and carrying the 
immature fruit beneath the ground where it ripens. Pod indehiscent, 1 to 
3-seeded. (Greek, a, without, and rachis, rachis.) 

1. A. hypogaea L. Peanut. Goober. Stems procumbent; leaves 
abruptly pinnate; leaflets 2 pairs.—Cult, from S. Am. 

13. VICIA L. Vetch. Tare 

Herbs with weak angular stems, often slightly climbing. Leaves pin¬ 
nate, with semi-sagittate stipules, the rachis ending in a simple or 
branched, tendril. Flowers solitary or racemose on axillary peduncles. 
Calyx 5-toothed, the 3 lower teeth often longer. Stamens more or less 
in 2 sets. Style with a tuft of hairs below the stigma. Pod flat, 2 to 
several-seeded. (Classical Latin name.) 


Annuals; flowers 1 or 2 in a cluster. 

Flowers subsessile in the axils..1. V. sativa. 

Flowers on a peduncle...2. V. exigua. 

Perennials ; flowers many or several in a cluster. 

Leaflets 8 to 14, broadly oblong.3. V. americana. 

Leaflets 20 to 30, narrowly oblong.4. V. gigantea. 


1. V. sativa L. Common Vetch. Stem slender, 3 to 5 dm. high; 
leaflets 6 to 12, oblong or linear, truncate or retuse, mucronate; flowers 
sub-sessile in the axils.—Nat. from Eur. 






PUNICACEAE 


107 


2. V. exigua Nutt. California Vetch. Leaflets 4 to 12; flowers on 
a peduncle 1.2 to 3.6 cm. long.—Cent, to S. Cal. 

3. V. americana Muhl. Stems 5 to 8 dm. long, trailing or climbing, 
sharply 4-sided or 4-winged; leaflets broadly oblong, 1.2 to 2.4 cm. long: 
peduncles 4 to 8-flowered; flowers purplish, changing to bluish, 1.8 cm. 
long.—Hill country. Var. ltnearis Wats. Leaflets very narrow, 3 mm. 
wide or less. Var. truncata Brewer. Leaflets broad, truncate at apex 
and 3-denticulate. 

4. V. gigantea Hook. Giant Vetch. Stout, climbing 8 to 17 dm. 
high and often forming extensive tangles over shrubs; leaflets 20 to 30. 
narrowly oblong; peduncles 7 to 18-flowered; flowers pale purple.—• 
Along streams. 

14. LATHYRUS L. Pea 

Perennial herbs, very like Vicia, but leaflets usually larger (in 3 to 5 
pairs ) and style flattish and hairy along the upper side only. (Old Greek 
name of the pea.) 

1. L. vestitus Nutt. Stems angled, often 5 to 11 dm. high; leaflets 
about 2.4 cm. long, 4 to 8 mm. wide; stipules narrowly semi-sagittate: 
raceme many-flowered; corolla purplish.—Hill country. 

15. PISUM L. Pea 

Climbing herbs with pinnate leaves, the common petiole terminated by 
a tendril. Leaflets 1 to 3 pairs. Calyx-lobes leafy. Style rigid, widened 
above, bearded down the inner edge. Pods several-seeded. Seeds glo¬ 
bose. (Latin name of the pea.) 

1. P. sativum L. Garden Pea. Tendril-climbing; glabrous and glau¬ 
cous ; leaflets oval or ovate, 2 or 3 pairs; stipules large, leafy; flowers 
few on axillary peduncles, white; pods rather fleshy.—Cult, from Eur. 

16. PHASEOLUS L. Bean 

Annual or perennial mostly twining herbs. Leaves pinnately 3-folio- 
late. Flowers clustered on axillary peduncles. Keel of corolla coiled into 
a spiral. Pod scimitar-shaped. (Ancient Latin name, somewhat altered, 
of a bean.) 

1. P. vulgaris L. String Bean. Pole Bean. Twining racemes of 
white, purplish or variegated flowers shorter than the leaves; pods 
linear, straight; seeds tumid.—Cult, from trop. Am. 

2. P. lunatus L. Lima Bean. Twining; racemes of small green¬ 
ish-white flower shorter than the leaves; pods broad, curved; seeds flat. 
—Cult, from S. Am. 

PUNICACEAE. POMEGRANATE FAMILY 

Shrubs or trees. Leaves opposite or nearly so, persistent, entire. 
Flowers perfect, red. Calyx and corolla 6 (or 5 to 8)-merous. Ovary 
inferior, with the carpels in two superimposed series of 3 and 5.—Species 
2, Asia. 

1. PUNICA L. 

Small tree. Flowers in simple axillary racemes. Calyx persistent. 
Fruit a spherical thick-skinned manv-celled berry. (Punicus, Carthagi- 


108 


MYRTACEAE 


nian, hence Malum punicum, apple of Carthage, an early name of the 
Romans for the pomegranate.) 

1. P. granatum L. Pomegranate. Leaves oblong or obovate, shin¬ 
ing; flowers orange-red, showy; ovary with two series of cells ripening 
into a large juicy and many-seeded pome-like berry.—Cult, from Persia. 

MYRTACEAE. MYRTLE FAMILY 

Shrubs or trees. Leaves opposite or alternate, simple, undivided and 
mostly entire, glandular-dotted and aromatic. Flowers perfect, regular, 
calyx and corolla 4 or 5-merous. Stamens many. Ovary inferior, 2 to 
4-celled; style 1.—A large family of about 2100 species, confined almost 
entirely to the tropics. Bertholletia excelsa H. & B. produces the Brazil 
Nuts of our markets; Eugenia caryophyllata Thunb., of the tropics, fur¬ 
nishes cloves; while Myrtus communis L., of the Mediterranean region, 
is the Myrtle Tree of our gardens. 

1. EUCALYPTUS L’Herit. Gum-Tree 

Mostly large trees with simple rigid entire leaves. Flowers usually in 
umbels. Calyx-tube adnate to the ovary at the base; flower apparently 
apetalous, distinct petals none, the petals and calyx-lobes forming a cap 
which is circumscissile. Stamens numerous. Fruit a capsule.—Species 
about 300, Australia and the adjacent islands. About 50 species are cult, 
in Cal. 

Flowers solitary or 2 or 3 together, sessile or nearly so; breadth of fruit over 


1.2 cm.1. E. globulus. 

Flowers in stalked umbels; breadth of fruit 4 to 6 mm.2. E. rostrata. 


1. E. globulus Labill. Blue-Gum. Tree 15 to 29 m. high; bark de¬ 
ciduous in thin strips; adult leaves thick, 1.4 to 2.8 dm. long; calyx-tube 
and lid warty.—Cult, from Austr. It is extensively planted in Cal., the 
wood used for interior finish, fuel, agricultural implements and small 
articles, such as collection boxes. 

2. E. rostrata Schlecht. Red-Gum. Tree 20 to 35 m. high; bark 
dark grey, deciduous or not; leaves 9.6 to 14.4 cm. or more long.—Cult, 
from Austr. The tree is esteemed because it withstands drought and en¬ 
dures heat. The wood is used for railroad ties, piles, and fence-posts. 

ONAGRACEAE. EVENING PRIMROSE FAMILY 

Herbs with simple leaves. Flowers symmetrical. Calyx-lobes 4. Petals 
4. Stamens 8, rarely 4. Pollen commonly cobwebby. Ovary inferior, 
4-celled. Style 1, the stigma 4-lobed or capitate. Fruit a capsule.— 
About 470 species, chiefly in temperate regions of northern hemisphere. 


Seeds with a tuft of hairs at one end. 

Corolla and calyx scarlet.1 . Zauschneria. 

Corolla white or purplish.2. Epilobium. 

Seeds naked. 

Flowers purple, rose-color or white, never yellow. 

Petals distinctly clawed, entire or lobed....3. Clarkia. 

Petals not clawed, not lobed in ours. 4. Godetia. 

Flowers yellow or sometimes white.5. Oenothera. 


1. ZAUSCHNERIA Presl 

Low perennials, the stems woody at base. Leaves mostly alternate. 









ONAGRACEAE 


109 


Flowers large, scarlet. Fuchsia-like. Calyx above the ovary colored like 
the corolla, the tube appendaged within with scales. Petals inserted on 
throat of the calyx. Stamens exserted, colored like the corolla. Style 
long-exserted. (M. Zauschner, a Bohemian botanist, one time Professor 
of Natural Histor)' in the University of Prag.) 

1. Z. californica Presl. Balsamea. Leaves oblong to lanceolate or 
narrowly linear; flowers 3.6 to 4.8 cm. long.—Dry stream beds and rocky 
mountain sides. A decoction of the foliage and also the powdered leaves 
are used for cuts and bruises in horses. 

2. EPILOBIUM L. Willow Herb 

Annual or perennial by creeping rootstocks, or by offsets. Leaves 
usually opposite. Flowers purple, rose-color or white in racemes. Sta¬ 
mens 8, the 4 alternate shorter. Ovary long and narrow. (Greek epi, 
upon, lobus, a pod, and ion, a violet.) 

Petals 10 to 14 mm. long, entire; capsule 5.1 to 7.6 cm. long....l. E. angustifoliurn. 
Petals 6 to 8 mm. long, emarginate; capsule 2.5 cm. long.2. E. paniculatum. 

1. E. angustifoliurn L. Fire-Weed. Stems simple, erect from a 
stout root, 8 to 23 dm. high, canescent above: leaves glabrous, pale be¬ 
low, lance-linear to lanceolate; inflorescence many-flowered, with bracts; 
petals spreading, purple.—In moist or boggy ground especially in fire- 
swept areas. 

2. E. paniculatum Nutt. Stem simple below, paniculately branched 
above, 4 to 14 dm. high; bark exfoliating; herbage glabrous with inflores¬ 
cence more or less glandular; leaves lanceolate to linear; racemes few- 
flowered; petals ascending, purplish.—Dry ground. 

3. CLARKIA Pursh 

Annuals with brittle stems and alternate leaves. Flowers showy, in a 
terminal raceme, nodding in the bud. Petals purple or rose-color, clawed. 
Stamens 8, or 4 rudimentary or wanting. Capsule straight or some¬ 
what curved, coriaceous, somewhat 4-angled. (Captain Clarke of the 
Lewis & Clarke party, first expedition across the Rocky Mts. to the 
Pacific, 1806.) 

Petals entire ; calyx-tube above the ovary obconical, 2 to 4 mm. long; stamens 8. 

Claw much shorter than limb of petal, often toothed.1. C. rhomboidect. 

Claw about as long as limb of petal, not toothed.2. C. elegans. 

Petals lobed; calyx-tube above the ovary almost filiform, 1.9 to 3.2 cm. long; 

stamens 4 .-.3. C. concinna . 

1. C. rhomboidea Dough Erect, 2.8 to 8.6 dm. high; petals rose- 
purple, often purple-dotted toward the base, rhomboidal, 6 to 18 mm. long, 
the claw short and broad; filaments with whitish hairy scales at base.— 
Foothills and mountains. 

2. C. elegans Dough Similar to no. 1; claw of petals about as long 
as limb, not toothed.—Foothills and mountains. 

3. C. concinna’ (F. & M.) Greene. Red Ribbons. Simple or diffusely 
branched, 1.5 to 4 dm. high; petals cuneate-obovate, 3-lobed, 1.2 to 2.4 
cm. long.—Mountain ranges at middle altitudes. 

4. GODETIA Spach 

Erect annuals. Flowers in leafy racemes or spikes. Calyx-tube above 
the ovary obconic or short-funnelform. Petals rose-color or lilac-purple 






110 


ONAGRACEAE 


to nearly white, often marked with spots of deeper color. (C. H. Godet, 
1797-1879, author of “Flora de Jura.”) 

Capsule not ribbed or indistinctly so, terete or teretish. 

Flowers loosely spicate-paniculate....1. G. amoena. 

Flowers spicately scattered. 

Buds nodding ... 2. G. bottae. 

Buds erect. 

Calyx-lobes commonly distinct and closely reflexed... 

3. G. quadrivulnera. 

Calyx-lobes united and turned to one side under the open flower. 

4. G. epilobioides. 

Capsule 8-ribbed, more or less 4-sided.5. G. purpurea. 


1. G. amoena (Lehm.) Lilja. Summer’s Darling. Loosely branching, 
4 to 7 dm. high; petals cuneate-obovate, truncate or obtuse at apex, ab¬ 
ruptly short-clawed, 1.8 to 2.4 cm. long; capsules 2.4 to 3.6 cm. long, nar¬ 
rowed at both ends.—Santa Cruz and n. 

2. G. bottae Spach. Erect, simple or branching from the base, 3 to 
7 dm. high; leaves linear to lanceolate; petals pink or light crimson, 1.2 
to 2.5 cm. long; capsules scattered.—S. Cal. and South Coast Ranges. 

3. G. quadrivulnera (Dougl.) Spach. Simple or with erect branches 
from the base, finely pubescent; leaves linear or narrowly oblong; petals 
purplish, often with a crimson spot, 1.2 cm. long; capsules 4-sided, 2 
ribs on each side.—Hill country. 

4. G. epilobioides Wats. Plants 1.5 to 7.6 dm. high, with slender, 
mostly simple stems; calyx red; petals light purple or white, 6 to 12 mm. 
long; capsules shortly pediceled.—S. Cal. 

5. G. purpurea (Curtis) Don. Stem simple and stout, 1.5 to 6 dm. 
high; leaves ovatish-oblong or oblong, the upper oblong-lanceolate or 
lanceolate; petals broad wedge-shape, light crimson with a darker spot 
in middle at apex.—Open valleys. 


5. OENOTHERA L. 

Flowers yellow or white, often turning reddish or greenish. Calyx- 
tube prolonged beyond the ovary, its lobes reflexed. Capsule chartaceous 
to woody, often contorted or spirally coiled, sessile. (Greek oinos, wine, 
and therea, pursuit, name given by Dioscorides to some now unknown 
plant, the roots of which were eaten to incite desire for wine.) 


Calyx-tube much prolonged beyond the ovary. 

Calyx-tube linear; stem leafy. 

Tall plants; flowers yellow.1. O. biennis. 

Low plants ; flowers white.:..2. O. californica. 

Calyx-tube filiform ; stem subterranean; leaves in rosettes on the ground. 

Perennial; leaves ovate or oblong.3. O. ovata. 

Annual; leaves linear.4. O. graciliflora. 

Calyx-tube obconic, little prolonged beyond ovary; stems leafy. 

Capsule sharply quadrangular, contorted or coiled. 

Herbage canescently pubescent; leaves thick, mostly entire. 

5. O. cheiranthifolia. 

Herbage more less hirsute ; leaves thinner, denticulate. 


Petals 2 to 4 mm. long, not spotted...6. O. micrantha 

Petals 8 to 14 mm. long, spotted at base.7. O. bistorta 

Capsule narrowly linear, obtusely angled. 

Flowers axillary, yellow...8. O. strigulosa 


Flowers in a nodding spike, white or rose-color; capsule contorted. 

9. O. gauraeflora. 

















CORNACEAE 


111 


1. O. biennis L. Biennial, stout, usually simple, 3 to 15 dm. high, 
more or less, hirsute; leaves lanceolate to oblong, mostly sessile; flowers 
opening at night.—Throughout U. S. 

2. O. californica Wats. Stems several from a perennial rootstock, 
ascending; calyx-tips free in the bud; petals white, fading purplish; 
flowers opening at night and remaining open two or three hours in the 
morning.—Sacramento Valley to S. Cal. 

3. O. ovata Nutt. Golden Eggs, Root fleshy; leaves 7.2 to 14.4 cm. 
long; calyx-tube 7.2 cm. long; petals yellow, orbicular 1.2 cm. long; 
ovary and capsules more or less below the surface of the ground, the 
latter 2.4 cm. long.—Coast Range valleys. 

4. O. graciliflora H. & A. Annual; leaves erect or ascending 8.9 cm. 
long or less; petals yellow, broadly obovate, with a shallow notch at 
apex, 6 to 8 mm. long.—Hillsides. 

5. O. cheiranthifolia Hornem. Stems prostrate or decumbent, rigid 
and tough, radiating from a central rosette crowning the perennial root; 
young herbage white-pubescent: leaves obovate to oblanceolate, the upper 
sessile; petals yellow, aging red or green as in the next, broader than 
long, 6 to 10 mm. long; capsules sharply 4-angled, becoming contorted.— 
Sand dunes along the coast. 

6. O. micrantha Hornem. Habit of no. 5 but branches not tough; 
pubescence hirsutulous; leaves oblong, lanceolate or oblanceolate, often 
undulate, denticulate; petals entire or notched, 2 to 4 mm. long; capsules 
sharply 4-angled, becoming contorted, 2.4 long.—Maritime. 

7. O. bistorta Nutt. Annual; stem at first a very short primary axis 
bearing a basal tuft of leaves and flowers, later producing erect or de¬ 
cumbent leafy flowering branches 1.4 to 4 dm. long; leaves linear or 
lanceolate (or the basal ones oblong-obovate) ; petals yellow, often with 
a small brown spot at base, broadly obovate, 8 to 14 mm. long; capsules 
1.8 to 2.7 cm. long, 2 mm. wide, narrowed upward, more or less curved 
or flexuous.—S. Cal., sandy soils. 

8. O. strigulosa T. & G. Slender erect or at length diffusely branched 
annuals 1.4 to 2.4 dm. high; leaves linear, mostly 1.2 cm. long; petals 2 
to 4 mm. long, aging to bright red.—Sandy lands. 

9. O. gauraeflora T. & G. Annual; often stout, erect, 1.5 to 6 dm. 
high; bark loose, white, shining; leaves lanceolate to narrowly oblanceo¬ 
late; spike often many-flowered; capsules attenuate from the base to a 
narrow beak.—S. Cal. and n. 

CORNACEAE. DOGWOOD FAMILY 

Shrubs or low plants with opposite simple leaves, 4 petals, 4 stamens, 
a single style, and an inferior 2-celled ovary becoming a 1 or 2-seeded 
fleshy Stone fruit. Calyx-tube coherent with the ovary, its limb repre¬ 
sented by 4 small teeth at the summit or none.—Species about 120, north 
temperate regions. 

1. CORN US L. Cornel. Dogwood 

Leaves entire. Flowers small in open clusters or close heads. (Latin 
cornu, a horn, on acount of the hardness of the wood.) 


112 


GARRYACEAE 


Flowers in* a flat-topped cluster, not involucrate. 

Leaves lighter colored beneath; drupe white.1. C. californica. 

Leaves all green ; drupe bluish or paie..2. C. glabrata. 

Flowers in a close head, surrounded by an involucre of 4 to 6 large white bracts; 

drupe scarlet .3. C. nuttallii. 

1. C. calif ornica C. A. Mey. Creek Dogwood. Shrub 1.5 to 4 m. 
high with smooth purplish branches; leaves ovate to elliptical, acute, 4.8 
to 9.6 cm. long; petals 4 mm. long.—Common on canon stream banks. 

2. C. glabrata Benth. Shrub 1.5 to 5 m. high, with nearly or quite 
glabrous twigs ; leaves ovate or oblong, usually acute at each end, 3 to 
4.8 cm. long; petals 3 to 4 mm. long.— Common along the bases of low 
hills, often forming thickets; also in stream beds or borders of swamps. 

3. C. nuttallii Aud. Mountain Dogwood. Small tree 8 to 12 m. high; 
leaves 7.2 to 14.4 cm. long; involucral bracts 3.6 to 7.2 cm. long; flower 
heads 1.2 to 2.4 cm. broad, borne on peduncles 2.4 to 3 cm. long.—Moun¬ 
tain woods. The inflorescence is remarkably beautiful. 

GARRYACEAE. SILK TASSEL FAMILY 

Shrubs or small trees. Leaves simple, opposite. Flowers dioecious, 
apetalous, borne along a pendulous catkin-like axis in the axils of the 
decussately opposite connate bracts. Staminate flowers 3 in each axil; 
calyx 4-parted; stamens 4. Pistillate flower 1 in each axil; calyx limb 
reduced; ovary inferior, 1-celled; ovules 2; styles 2. Fruit a berry, the 
epicarp dry and brittle, sometimes dehiscing irregularly.—Species 4 or 
5, western North America. 

1. GARRYA Dougl. 

The only genus. (Nicholas Gary, Hudson Bay Co., friend of David 
Douglas, botanical explorer.) 

1. G. elliptica Dougl. Silk Tassel Bush. Shrub or small tree 
1.5 to 4 m. high; leaves elliptical, undulate-margined, glabrous above, 
tomentose beneath.—Seaward ranges, Monterey Co. n. 

2. G. fremontii Torr. Bear Brush. Shrub 1.6 to 3 m. high; leaves 
plane, oblong, varying to elliptic, glabrous and shining above, puberulent 
or tomentose, in age often glabrous, often 3 'ellow in age.—Chaparral 
slopes, inner ranges. 

ARALIACEAE. GINSENG FAMILY 

Very like Umbelliferae, but the stems solid, the styles usually more than 
2 and fruit berry-like.—Species 400, tropical and temperate regions. 


Erect plants; leaves compound.1. Aralia. 

Stems climbing by adventitious rootlets ; leaves simple.2. Hedera. 


1. ARALIA L. Spikenard 

Leaves compound. Flowers in simple or panicled umbels, white or 
greenish. Styles 5, united to the middle. Fruit black. (Derivation un¬ 
certain.) 

1. A. calif ornica Wats. Elk-clover. Herbs 1 to 2 m. high, the stems 
from a stout rootstock with milky juice; leaves ternate, each division 
pinnately 3 to 5-foliolate; leaflets ovate, varying to elliptic, 1.4 to 2.8 dm. 







UMBELLIF ERAE 


113 


long; flowers 50 to 60 in a single umbel; calyx a mere rim ; berry black.— 
Woocled canons. * 

2. KEDERA L. Ivy 

Woody evergreen plants climbing by adventitious rootlets, with simple 
palmately 3 to 5-lobed or angled leaves or thos.e of the upper flowering 
branches ovate. Flowers greenish, in panicled or clustered umbels. 
Ovary 5 or 10-celled, the 5 styles united into a conical column. Berry 
black. (Ancient Latin name of the ivy.) 

1. H. helix L. English Ivy. Climbing on shady walls; leaves round¬ 
ish cordate, glossy.—Cult, from Eur. 


UMBELLIFERAE. PARSLEY FAMILY 

Herbs with commonly hollow stems. Leaves compound or often simple. 
Flowers small, in simple or compound umbels, or the umbel reduced to a 
head. Calyx-tube adherent to the ovary, with 5 minute or obsolete 
teeth. Petals 5. Stamens 5. Styles 2. Ovary 2-celled, splitting when 
ripe into 2 seed-like fruits, each half often with 5 longitudinal ribs on 
the back and with longitudinal oil-tubes in the tissue of the pericarp.— 
The 5 ribs of the fruit are sometimes conspicuous, with one down the 
back (the dorsal), one on each side (the lateral) and two between (the 
intermediate).—This important family, containing about 1300 species, is 
found in all continents but is most abundant in the northern hemisphere. 
It is remarkable for containing a large number of poisonous, edible and 
aromatic plants. The foliage of Poison Hemlock (Conium maculatum 
L.) and Fool's Parsley (Aethusa cynapium L.) are deadly poisons, as 
are the roots of Water Hemlock (Cicuta), while the roots and leaves of 
many other species described below are edible. The fruits or “seeds’* are 
wholesome, in all probability, in all species. 

A. Fruit bearing prickles, bristles, scales or tubercles. 


Ribs and oil-tubes none. 

Fruit covered with scales ; flowers greenish-white or blue. 1. Eryngium. 

Fruit covered with hooked prickles; flowers yellow or purple.. ..2. Sanicula. 
Ribs present; flowers white. 

Oil-tubes none or obscure. 

Fruit conspicuously long-beaked; annuals.3. Scandix. 

Fruit not beaked or short-beaked ; perennials.4. Osmorrhiza. 

Oil-tubes present, usually conspicuous. 

Ribs armed with bristles. 5. Daucus. 


Ribs not armed, inconspicuous; fruit tuberculate-roughened. 

6. Apiastrum. 


B. Fruit not prickly or tuberculate nor scaly. 

Leaves simple ; umbels simple. 7. Bowlesia. 

Leaves compound; umbels compound. 

Ribs of the fruit not winged. 

Flowers white, rarely pinkish. 

Oil-tubes none; fruit ovate; stems purple-dotted.8. Conium. 

Oil-tubes present. 

Petals conspicuously unequal... 9. Coriandrum. 

Petals equal or essentially so. 

Umbels subsessile in the forks and terminal on the branches. 

10. Apium. 










114 


UMBELLIFERAE 


Umbels terminal on the branches. 

Leaflets entire.#.. 11. Carum. 

Leaflets serrate ..12. Cicuta. 

Flowers yellow. 

Stems of medium height; leaves mostly basal. 13. Velaea. 


Stems very tall, leafy, with finely dissected leaves..14. Foeniculum. 
| Some or all ribs of the fruit winged. 

i Lateral ribs winged, dorsal and intermediate ribs filiform. 

Oil-tubes half way to the base of fruit; corollas unlike. 

15. Heracleum. 

Oil-tubes as long as fruit; corollas all alike. 


Stems none or very short.16. Lomatium. 

Stems tall, leafy. 

Leaves pinnate .17. Pastinaca. 

Leaves ternately compound.18. Anethum. 


Lateral, dorsal and intermediate ribs winged or very prominent. 

* 19. Angelica. 

1. ERYNGIUM L. Button Snakeroot 

Perennials with clustered coarse fibrous roots, prickly involucres and 
often prickly leaves. Flowers greenish-white or blue, in heads which are 
terminal on the branches or short-peduncled in the forks. Bracts and 
bractlets spinose, conspicuous. (Greek name used by Dioscorides.) 

1. E. vaseyi C. & R. Coyote-Thistle. Plants growing in shallow 
pools; earliest leaves terete, pointed, in a basal tuft, disappearing early 
and succeeded by short erect leafy stems; leaves narrowly oblanceolate, 
9.6 to 23 dm. long, the upper much shorter, incised or bearing small 
lanceolate lobes below; fruit with abruptly cuspidate calyx-lobes.—Low 
places in fields. 

2. SANICULA L. Snakeroot 

Glabrous perennial herbs, the stems naked or few-leaved. Leaves 
palmately lobed or pinnately divided. Flowers greenish-yellow or purple, 
borne in head-like clusters, which are disposed in few-rayed umbels. 
Fruit densely covered wdth hooked prickles. (Diminutive form derived 
from Latin sanere, to heal, certain species used in medicine.) 

Mature fruit pediceled ; leaves palmately lobed or divided. 

Bractlets conspicuous; plants prostrate or decumbent.1. 5". arctopoidcs. 

Bractlets inconspicuous ; plants erect. 

Leaf divisions broad, not toothed to the very base.2. S. tnenziesii. 

Leaf divisions narrow, decurrent below into a conspicuously toothed 

rachis ....3. 5. arguta. 

Mature fruit sessile. 

Stems from the more or less thickened crown of a tap root. 

Flowers purple ; leaves bipinnatifid, the main divisions decurrent on the 
toothed rachis .4. S. bipinnatifida. 

Flowers yellow; leaves palmately cleft.5. S. laciniata. 

Stems from a tuberous root. 

Leaves pinnate ; tuber elongated.„.6. S', bipinnata. 

Leaves ternate; tuber globose ...7. S', tuberosa. 

1. S. arctopoides H. & A. Footsteps-of-spring. Stem short, bear¬ 
ing at base a tuft of leaves and above several divergent and decumbent 
scape-like branches, each terminating in an umbel of 1 to 3 rays; bracts 
foliaceous; bractlets entire, much exceeding the yellow flowers.—Open 
or brushy hills, vicinity of the ocean. 

2. S. menziesii H. & A. Gamble Weed. Stems erect, sparingly 
branched, 2.8 to 14.4 dm. high; basal leaves roundish in outline, 4.8 to 12 

















PARSLEY FAMILY 


115 


cm. broad, palmately 3 to 5-cleft, the divisions again cleft and serrate; 
bracts toothed; bractlets entire, shorter than the yellow flowers.—Open 
woods of the hill country. 

3. S. arguta Greene. Stems sparingly branched, 1.9 to 3.3 dm. high: 
leaves mainly basal, palmately 5 to 7-divided, all the divisions more or 
less pinnately parted and toothed and decurrent; bractlets membranous, 
oblong; flowers yellow.—Coastal S. Cal. 

4. S bipinnatifida Dougl. Purple Sanicle. Stems branching, leafy 
below, 2 to 5 dm. high; leaves pinnately 5 to 7-parted or -divided, the 
divisions laciniately lobed and toothed and decurrent on the toothed 
rachis; flowers purple, in dense heads borne in simple or partly com¬ 
pound umbels; bracts foliaceous; bractlets 13 or 14, lanceolate.—Grassy 
hills. 

5. S. laciniata H. fir. A. Coast Sanicle. Stems from a medium tap 
root, few-branched, 1 to 3 dm. high; leaves mostly basal, roundish, pal¬ 
mately 3-cleft or parted; umbel with 2 to 5 unequal rays: bractlets oblong- 
ovate or lanceolate; flowers yellow.—Slopes of coast hills from Hum¬ 
boldt Co. to Monterey Co. 

6. S. bipinnata H. & A. Poison Sanicle. Stems from an elongated 
tuber-l.’ke root, erect, 2 to 5 dm. high; herbage aromatic; leaves chiefly 
basal, twice or thrice pinnate; umbel with 3 or 4 rays and leaf-like bracts; 
flowers yellow; fruit tuberculate.—Shady woods in the low hills. 

7. S. tuberosa Torr. Turkey Pea. Stem from a globose tuber, 
simple or divided into peduncle-like branches; leaves ternately and sev¬ 
eral times dissected into subulate segments; bracts foliaceous; bractlets 
ovate or lanceolate; flowers yellow, in heads, the heads disposed in a 
more or less compound few-rayed umbel.—Gravelly hillsides. 

3. SCANDIX L. 

Annuals with dissected decompound leaves. Flowers polygamous, in 
compound umbels. Staminate flowers with a green disk. Pistillate 
flowers with a purple disk. Rays commonly 2. Fruit linear, flattened 
laterally, with prominent ribs, prolonged into a beak several times longer 
than the body. (The Greek name.) 

1. S. pecten-veneris L. Shepherd’s Needle. Erect, simple or branch¬ 
ing, 12 to 38 cm. high, sometimes hispidulous; leaves 2 or 4 times pin¬ 
nately dissected into linear segments; bractlets 2 or 3-toothed at apex or 
entire; ravs 1.2 to 2.4 cm. long.—San Francisco Bay region.; nat. from 
Eur. 

4. OSMORRHIZA Raf. Sweet Cicely 

Perennials with thick aromatic roots. Leaves mostly basal, 2 to 3 
times ternately compound. Flowers in compound umbels. Fruit linear 
or linear-oblong, smooth or bristly along the ribs. (Greek osme, odor, 
and rhiza, root.) 

1. O. nuda Torr. Stems glabrous, 4 to 7 dm. high; leaves 1.2 to 2.6 
dm. long, the cauline much reduced; rays 3 or 4 to 6; fruit attenuate 
into a slender base, at apex more or less beaked, the base and ribs bristly. 
—Shady woods. 

5. DAUCUS L. 

Bristly herbs with many times dissected leaves. Flowers white, in a 


116 


UMBELLIFERAE 


compound umbel which is surrounded by deft leafy bracts and borne on 
long peduncles. Ribs of the fruit with barbed prickles or bristles. 
(Daukos, the Greek name.) 

1. D. pusillus Michx. Rattlesnake Weed. Plants about 9.6 to 24 
cm. high; stems and peduncles retrorselv hispid; bracts divided into 
short linear or lanceolate segments; rays 4 to 10 mm. long, rarely 2.4 to 
3.6 cm. long.—Hill country. The herbage was used by the native tribes as 
an antidote for rattlesnake bite by direct application on the wound. 

2. D. carota L. Carrot. Stems erect, branching 5 to 8 dm. high, 
commonly smooth; bracts divided into short linear or lanceolate seg¬ 
ments; rays 2.4 to 6 cm. long; fruiting umbel resembling a bird’s nest.— 
Cult, from Eur. for its edible root; also naturalized in valley lands. 

6. APIASTRUM Nutt. 

Small branching glabrous annuals with dissected leaves. Flowers in 
irregularly compound umbels. Rays and pedicels unequal. Fruit some¬ 
what laterally compressed, elliptic-cordate. Oil-tubes solitary in the in¬ 
tervals. (Apium, celery, and aster, Latin suffix meaning wild.) 

1. A. angustifolium Nutt. Erect, 1 to 2 (or 3.6 dm.) high; leaves 
twice or thrice ternately dissected into linear segments; umbels sessile in 
the forks or opposite the upper leaves, of 2 or 3 umbellets and 1 or 2 ses¬ 
sile flowers in the center: umbellets 3 or 4-flowered; fruit cordate.— 
Dry mountain slopes or sandy valleys. 

7. BOWLESIA R. & P. 

Small and delicate pubescent annual with opposite simple leaves and 
scarious stipules. Umbels simple, few-flowered, axillary. Flowers white, 
minute. Fruit ovate, somewhat flattened laterally, with no ribs or oil- 
tubes. (Wm. Bowles, 1705-1780, Irish naturalist and traveler.) 

1. B. lobata R. & P. Stems mostly branching at the base, weak and 
trailing, 1.4 to 5.7 dm. long, flowering from the base; leaves thin, 5-lobed, 
broader than long; umbels 1 to 4-flowered.-—Shaded places in the hills. 

8. CONIUM L. 

Tall branching biennial with dissected decompound leaves. Bracts 
and bractlets small. Flowers white. Fruit broadly ovate, somewhat 
laterally flattened, with prominent ribs. (Greek name of the Hemlock.) 

1. C. maculatum L. Poison Hemlock. Tall, the stem dotted with 
purple marks; herbage with a mouse-like odor; leaves 2.8 to 5.7 dm. 
long or more; rays 10 to 16.—Shady or moist ground; nat. from Eur. 
The herbage is poisonous. 

9. CORIANDRUM L. 

Slender glabrous strong-smelling annuals with leafy stems, the lower 
leaves pinnate or bipinnate, the upper finely dissected. Flowers white or 
rose-tinted, in compound umbels. Fruit subglobose, with filiform or acute 
ribs. (Ancient Latin name.) 

1. C. sativum L. Coriander. Stems 3 to 7 dm. high; leaflets of 
lower leaves roundish or ovate; divisions of upper leaves linear.—Euro¬ 
pean garden plant, cult, from the Orient, occasionally escaped. The seed¬ 
like fruits are aromatic and used as flavoring in cookery. 


PARSLEY FAMILY 


117 


10. APIUM L. 

Erect glabrous biennials with fibrous roots and pinnate leaves, the 
stems branching. Umbels compound, opposite the leaves. Flowers white. 
Fruit elliptic-ovate or broader than long, with prominent ribs. (Old 
Latin name of celery.) 

1. A. graveolens L. Common Celery. Stems 6 to 11.5 dm. high; 
lower leaves long-petioled; upper leaves short-petioled or sessile, the 
leaflets 3.—Garden plant from Eur.; also nat. in marshes and along 
streams. The blanched leaf-stalks are eaten raw and also cooked. 

11. CARUM L. 

Erect slender glabrous biennials or perennials. Leaves pinnate with 
few linear leaflets. Flowers white, in compound umbels. Bracts entire 
or none. Bractlets entire. Fruit ovate or oblong with filiform ribs. Oil- 
tubes solitary in the intervals. (Karon, Greek name of the caraway.) 


Perennial herbs; native species. 

Stems clustered, from a fascicle of coarse roots .1. C. kelloggii. 

Stems solitary, from a tuber or cluster of tubers .2. C. gairdneri. 

Annual or biennial herbs ; garden plants. 

Flowers white.3. C. carui. 

Flowers greenish-yellow.4. C. petroselinum. 


1. C. kelloggii Gray. Stems 8.6 to 14 dm. high; basal leaves 12 to 24 
cm. long, ternate, each division pinnate with linear divisions; stem leaves 
smaller; bracts and bractlets lanceolate or subulate; rays 1.8 to 3.6 cm. 
long.—Dry open foothills. 

2. C. gairdneri Gray. Squaw Root. Stems 3 to 9 dm. high; leaves 
few, simply pinnate; leaflets 3 to 7, linear; upper leaves mostly simple; 
bracts 1 or 2 or none; bractlets few; fruit broadly oblong to elliptic.— 
Adobe flats or meadows or hill slopes. 

3. C. carui L. Caraway. Stems 3 to 6 dm. high; leaves pinnate; 
leaflets filiform.—Cult, from Eur. for its seed-like fruits which are used 
in flavoring bread and cakes. 

4. C. petroselinum Benth. Parsley. Leaves ternate-pinnate; leaflets 
ovate, 3-lobed or incised.—Cult, from Eur. for its pleasant-flavored fo¬ 
liage which is used for garnishing meats and fish. 

12. CICUTA L. Water Hemlock 

Tall branching perennials. Leaves at least partially twice or thrice 
pinnate. Flowers white, in compound umbels. Fruit flattened laterally, 
broadly ovate to roundish ; ribs corky, broad, low, the lateral largest. 
(Classical name of the hemlock, which was given to criminals and some¬ 
times, when the Greeks had a superfluity, to philosophers, as a death 
poison.) 

1. C. douglasii (DC.) C. & R. Western Water Hemlock. Stems 
stout, glaucous, 8.6 to 11.5 dm. high; herbage often purplish; leaves 
bipinnate, the leaflets sessile, lanceolate, serrate; fruit sub-orbicular, with 
light-colored ribs and red-brown intervals.—Along streams and in 
marshes in the mountains. Its root is poisonous to cattle. 

13. VELAEA DC. 

Subglabrous perennials with thick yellow elongated odorous tap roots. 
Leaves pinnately or ternately compound. Flowers in compound umbels. 






118 


UMBELLIFERAE 


Fruit oblong or orbicular, somewhat laterally compressed. Ribs acute 
or filiform, equal. Oil-tubes conspicuous. (Sebastin Eugene Vela, stu¬ 


dent of the Umbelliferae.) 

Leaves simply pinnate; ribs of the fruit prominent.1. V. arguta. 

Leaves ternate ; ribs of the fruit inconspicuous..2. V. hartwegii. 


1. V. arguta (Nutt.) C. & R. Plants 3 to 7 dm. high; leaves 4.8i to 
12 cm. long; leaflets 5 to 7, ovate, serrate; fruit oblong, its ribs acute, 
prominent.—Mountains of coastal S. Cal. 

2. V. hartwegii (Gray) C. & R. Plants tufted, 2.8 to 8.6 dm. high; 
leaflets ovate or oblong, sparingly incised, serrate, mucronate; fruit near¬ 
ly orbicular, the ribs slender, inconspicuous.—Foothills, cent. Cal. 

14. FOENICULUM Hill 

Stout perennial with aromatic herbage. Leaves decompound, dis¬ 
sected into numerous filiform segments. Flowers in large compound 
umbels. Fruit oblong, with prominent ribs and oil-tubes solitary in the 
intervals. (Diminutive of Latin foenum, hay, from its odor.) 

1. F. vulgare (L.) Gaertn. Sweet Fennel. Stems striate, branch¬ 
ing, 8.6 to 20 dm. high ; herbage glaucous.—Nat. from Eur.; waste places 
on old farms and by country lanes. 

15. HERACLEUM L. 

Tall stout perennial with very 

large compound leaves with 3 leaf¬ 
lets. Flowers white, in a large 
compound umbel, those near the 
margin of the umbel with larger 
corollas. Fruit almost round, 
strongly flattened, with 5 longi¬ 
tudinal ribs on the back of each 
half. Oil-tubes 1 to each inter¬ 
val between the ribs, visible from 
the outside. (Named for Hercules, 
who it is said, first used it as a 
medicine.) 

1. H. lanatum Michx. Cow 
Parsnip. Fig. 4. Moist north 
hillsides near the coast. 

16. LOMATIUM Raf. 

Hog-Fennel 

Low perennials with thick tap¬ 
roots, the leaves mostly basal and 
the stems scape-like. Flowers 
white or yellow, in compound um¬ 
bels. Bracts usually none. Bract- 
lets usually present. Fruit nearly 
round to oblong, much flattened, 4. Heracleum lanatum Michx. ; a, 

with 5 ribs on the back of each > c b > um bel ; c, carp. x2; 

half, the lateral ribs winged, the d ‘ sect ' of carp ' x3 ‘ 
others appearing as ridges. (From Greek loma, a border, referring to 
the winged fruit.) 













PARSLEY FAMILY 


119 


Peduncles not enlarged at summit. 

Wings on each side of the body of the seed more or less distinct; leaflets 


more or less broad....1. L. lucidum. 

Wings more or less joined above and below the body of the seed; leaves 
dissected into numerous very small segments. 

Bractlets broad, roundish or obovate. 

Oil-tubes none in the intervals ; wings thickish...2. L. caruifolium. 

Oil-tubes solitary in the intervals ; wings thin.3. L. utriculaturn. 

Bractlets narrow, most often lanceolate. 

Fruit glabrous; corolla glabrous.4. L. macrocarpum. 

Fruit pubescent; corolla with kinky white hairs.5. L. dasycarpum. 

Peduncles enlarged at summit.6. L. nudicaule. 


1. L. lucidum (Nutt.) Jepson. Plants 1.4 to 4.3 dm. high, the stout 
peduncles from very short stems; leaves once or twice ternate; leaflets 
roundish to ovate, toothed; rays 2.4 to 7.2 cm. long; bractlets lanceolate; 
oil-tubes solitary in the intervals.—Coastal S. Cal. 

2. L. caruifolium (T. & G.) C. & R. Stem almost.none, the peduncles 
three or four, 2 to 3 dm. high; leaves ternately dissected into small linear 
segments, finely hispid; fruiting rays 2.4 to 3.6 cm. long; bracts none; 
bractlets several; wings of fruit half to almost as wide as bod'*; oil- 
tubes none or indistinct.—Low subsaline soils. 

3. L. utriculaturn (T. & G.) C. & R. Bladder Parsnip. Plants 2.4 to 

3.8 dm. high, the proper stems short; leaves triternately dissected into 
small linear segments; fruiting rays 2.4 to 7.2 cm. long; bracts 1 to 3; 
bractlets several, scarious-margined; wings scarcely as wide as body 
of fruit; oil-tubes mostly solitary in the intervals.—Common on open 
hillsides. 

4. L. macrocarpum (Nutt.) C. & R. Plants 2.8 to 4.3 dm. high, the 
stems several from a stout tap root; leaves twice ternate and twice pin- 
nately divided, the ultimate segments linear, 2 to 6 mm. long and about 
1 mm. wide; ultimate divisions of rachis winged; fruiting pays 3.6 to 

4.8 cm. long; fruit glabrous, 12 to 16 mm. long, 4 to 8 mm. broad; 
oil-tubes solitary in the intervals.—Dry hillsides. 

5. L. dasycarpum (T. & G.) C. & R. Plants 3 to 4.3 dm. high, the 
peduncles arising from the root-crown or from very short stems; leaves 
triternately decompound and dissected into linear or oblong segments, 
these 2 to 4 (or 6) mm. long; rays 2.4 to 4.8 cm. long; bractlets "linear to 
ovate; fruit broadly elliptic to orbicular, 7 to 8 (or 14) mm. long, the 
thin wings 2 to 3 times the width of the body; oil-tubes usually 1 (rarely 
2) in the intervals.—Coastal S. Cal. and n. in the Coast Ranges. 

6. L. nudicaule (Pursh.) C. & R. Pestle Parsnip. Plants 1.9 to 4.8 
dm. high; leaves once or twice ternate, then pinnate; leaflets broadly 
ovate to lanceolate, entire; rays very unequal; fruit oblong to elliptic, 
wings half as wide as the body; oil-tubes 1 or 2 in the intervals.—Low 
open foothills and rolling plains. 

17. PASTINACA L. 

Tall branching biennial with angular stems from thick roots. Leaves 
large, simply pinnate. Flowers yellow, in compound umbels. Bracts 
and bractlets small or none. Fruit oval, compressed. Lateral ribs 
winged, the others filiform. Oil-tubes solitary in the intervals. (Latin 
name of the parsnip.) 








120 


ERICACEAE 


1. P. sativa L. Common Parsnip. Erect, 8.6 to 11.5 dm. high: 
leaflets ovate, serrate, incised, lobed or more or less divided; rays 2.4 
to 6 cm. long; oil-tubes conspicuous.—Cult, from Eur. for the esculent 
roots; locally naturalized. 

18. ANETHUM L. 

Slender annuals with leafy stems and finely dissected leaves. Flowers 
yellow, in compound umbels. Bracts and bractlets none. Fruit ellip¬ 
tical, flattened dorsally, the lateral ribs narrowly winged. Oil-tubes 
solitary in the intervals. (Ancient Greek name of the dill.) 

1. A. graveolens L. Dill. Anise. Plants branching, 2.8 to 8.6 dm. 
high.—Garden plant from Eur.; also locally naturalized in S. Cal. The 
seed-like fruits are used as seasoning in cooking. 

19. ANGELICA L. 

Stout perennials with leafy stems and ternately or pinnately com¬ 
pound leaves. Flowers white, in large terminal compound umbels. 
Bracts and bractlets none or scanty. Fruit compressed, elliptic-oblong; 
lateral ribs broadly winged, the others often narrowly winged. Oil- 
tubes 1 to 3 *in the intervals. (Latin angelica, on account of its medi¬ 
cinal properties.) 

1. A. tomentosa Lindl. Stems stout, 5.5 to 14.5 dm. high; herbage 
more or less tomentose; leaflets 7.2 to 9.6 cm. long; rays 2.4 to 14.4 cm. 
long.—San Diego Co. to Mendocino Co. 

ERICACEAE. HEATH FAMILY 

Trees, shrubs or perennial herbs with simple leaves and regular 
flowers with the parts commonly in 5s. Stamens free from the corolla, 
as many or twice as many as its lobes or petals. Anthers opening by a 
terminal hole or chink. Ovary 3 to 10-celled. Fruit a pod or berry.— 
About 1400 species, very generally distributed. 

Corolla choripetalous; fruit a pod; flowers in umbel-like clusters.1. Ledum. 


Corolla sympetalous. 

Calyx-tube free from the ovary. 

Corolla funnelform ; fruit a pod.2. Rhododendron. 

Corolla urnshaped; fruit berry-like. 

Trees ; berry with a rough surface. 3. Arbutus. 

Shrubs. 


Fruit a dry berry with a smooth or merely glandular surface. 

4. Arctostaphylos. 

Fruit consisting of the pod inclosed in the enlarged and berry-like 


calyx...5. Gaultheria. 

Calyx-tube adherent to the ovary; fruit a berry...6. Vaccinium. 


1. LEDUM L. Labrador Tea 

Low shrubs with fragrant herbage and numerous small white flowers 
in umbel-like clusters. Petals spreading, distinct. Stamens 4 to 10. 
Fruit a 4-celled pod, splitting from the base upward. (Greek ledon, 
ancient name of the cistus.) 

1. L. glandulosum Nutt. Evergreen, 5 to 14 dm. high; leaves oblong, 
acute at each end, rather thickly clothing the stems, the under surface 
often with a close glandular-dotted felt; petals 5 to 6 mm. long; pod 
oval, 4 mm. long.—Marin Co. and n.; high Sierra Nevada. 








HEATH FAMILY 


121 


2. RHODODENDRON L. 

Shrubs with entire leaves. Flowers in umbels or corymbs. Calyx very 
small. Corolla funnelform. Fruit a capsule. (Greek rhodos, rose, 
and dendron, a tree.) 

1. R. occidentale Gray. Western Azalea. Deciduous shrub 1 to 2.3 
m. high; leaves obovate, 2.4 to 9.6 cm. long; flowers white, rarely pinkish; 
corolla 3.6 to 4.8 cm. long, the upper lobe with a yellow splotch; stamens 
5, exserted.—Stream banks in canons. 

2. R. califomicum Hook. Rose Bay. Evergreen shrub 1.5 to 4 m. 
high; leaves leathery, oblong or elliptic, 7.2 to 9.6 cm. long; flowers rose- 
purple ; corolla 3 cm. long, the upper lobe greenish-dotted; stamens 10, 
included.—Near the coast, Santa Lucia Mts. n. to Del Norte Co. 

3. ARBUTUS L. Arbute Tree 

Trees with evergreen coriaceous leaves and white flowers in an ample 
terminal panicle of dense racemes. Corolla globular or ovate. Anthers 
2-awned on the back. Fruit a many-seeded berry with a rough surface. 
(Latin name of the Arbute tree under which, says Horace, idle men 
delight to lie.) 

1. A. menziesii Pursh. Madrono. Tree 8 to 28 m. high ; bark at first 
satiny green, turning to yellow or salmon-color, and finally aging to 
deep red; leaves elliptic or ovatish, 4.8 to 12 cm. long; berries fleshy, 
4 to 10 mm. in diameter.—Hillsides or mountain slopes. It is a highly 
ornamental tree. The berries were used as food by the native tribes. 

4. ARCTOSTAPHYLOS Adans. Manzanita 

Evergreen shrubs with crooked branches, dark red smooth and polished 
bark. Leaves more or less vertical by twisting of the petiole. Flowers 
white or pink, disposed in a sub-globose panicle of short spikes or ra¬ 
cemes. Corolla urnshaped. Anthers 2-awned on back. Fruit a dry 
brown or red “berry” with several stony nutlets, the nutlets either dis¬ 
tinct or more or less consolidated. (Greek arktos, a bear, and staphule, 
a grape; bears feed on the berries.) 

Ovary glabrous; leaves and branchlets glabrous or essentially so. 

Stems several from a heavy root-crown which crown-sprouts freely; pedicels 
glandular; foliage very white-glaucous. 

Berry with solid stone; S. Cal. and South Coast Ranges . 1 . A. glauca. 

Berry with separate nutlets; Sierra Nevada foothills chiefly....2. A. viscida. 

Stems solitary, not enlarged at base, not crown-sprouting; pedicels not glan¬ 
dular or only obscurely or minutely so; foliage green..3. A. manzanita. 
Ovary pubescent; leaves and branchlets pubescent or usually so ; flowers white. 

Stems solitary, not enlarged at base, not crown-sprouting. 

Leaveswnostly 8 to 14 mm. long; berry glabrous; nutlets thin-shelled.... 

4. A. sensitiva. 

Leaves mostly 2.4 to 4.8 cm. long; berry microscopically white-hairy; 

nutlets thick-shelled.5. A. columbiana. 

Stems several from a heavy root-crown, freely crown-sprouting; leaves mostly 
2.4 to 3.6 (or 4.8) cm. long; berry minutely short-hairy; nutlets thick- 


shelled. 

Bark not shreddy. 

Branchlets not hispid; ovary not glandular.6. A. canescens. 

Branchlets or some of them more or less hispid; ovary hairs glan¬ 
dular.7. A. glandulosa. 

Bark markedly shreddy..8. A. tomentosa. 








122 


ERICACEAE 


1. A. glauca Lindl. Great-berried Manzanita. Robust shrub 2 
to 4 m. high; leaves roundish to elliptical or broadly ovate, 3 to 4.2 cm. 
long; flowers white; nutlets consolidated into a single stone: berry 10 
to 16 mm. broad.—Mt. Diablo to S. Cal. 

2. A. viscida Parry. White-leaf Manzanita. Shrub 1 to 3 m. 
high; leaves elliptic to orbicular, 1.8 to 3.6 cm. long; pedicel glandular- 
hairy; branchlets and peduncles very glaucous; flowers light pink; berry 
deep red, 6 to 8 mm. broad.—Sierra Nevada and inner n. Coast Range 
foothills. 

3. A. manzanita Parry. Parry Manzanita. Large shrub 2 to 5 m. 
high; branchlets finely puherulent; leaves elliptic to oblong, 2.4 to 3.6 
cm. long; flowers white; berry 8 to 10 mm. broad.—Dry hills and moun¬ 
tains. The berries are used in making jellies, while the wood, which is 
used for fuel, has a very high heat value. 

4. A. sensitiva Jepson. Fire Manzanita. Slender erect shrub 5.7 to 
14 dm. high ; leaves roundish, abruptly acute or apiculate, finely reticu¬ 
late-veiny beneath, 10 to 14 (or 20) mm. long; berry oblong, 4 mm. long. 
---Mt. Tamalpais; Santa Cruz Mts. 

5. A. columbiana Piper. Shrub 1.5 to 2 m. high; branchlets bristly 
and also finely tomentose and usually glandular, very foliaceous; leaves 
ovate to oblong, obtuse to subcordate at base, 2.4 to 4.8 cm. long; berry 
depressed, 6 to 8 mm. broad.—Along the coast, Marin Co. n. 

6. A. canescens Eastw. Whitish .shrub 8.6 to 17 dm. high; leaves 
ovate; branchlets, peduncles and leaves minutely white-pubescent; ovary 
woolly.—Humboldt Co. to the Santa Cruz and Santa Lucia mountains. 

7. A. glandulosa Eastw. Eastwood Manzanita. Low shrub, com¬ 
monly 5.7 to 8.6 dm. high; branchlets, peduncles and pedicels with a 
dusky more or less glandular tomentum; leaves ovate to elliptic, 2.4 to 
4.2 cm. long; ovary glandular-hairy.—On broken sandstone, San Diego 
Co. and San Gabriel Mts., n. to Mendocino Co. 

8. A. tomentosa (Pursh) Lindl. Similar to no. 7; leaves rather 
densely tomentose beneath.—Monterev Co. 

5. GAULTHERIA L. 

Shrubby evergreen plants with spicy aromatic leaves and flowers in a 
raceme. Calyx 5-cleft. Corolla oval-urnshaped, 5-toothed at the narrow 
orifice. Stamens 10, each anther with pair of spreading awns at sum¬ 
mit. Ovary 5-celled. Pod inclosed bv the enlarged and fleshy calyx. 
(Dr. Gaultier, Canadian physician and botanist.) 

1. G. shallon Pursh. Salal. Stems erect, 8 to 20 dm. high; leaves 
ovate or orbicular, finely serrate; pedicels declined; corolla pink or pink¬ 
ish-white, 8 mm. long; fruit purple or black.—Abundant in forests of 
the Redwood belt. 

6. VACCINIUM L. 

Bushes. Calyx-tube adnate to the ovary, the limb 5-lobed. Corolla 
globular or urnshaped, 5-toothed. Anthers commonly 2-awned on the 
back, each cell prolonged into a tube opening at the tip by a pore. Fruit 
a berry crowned with the vestiges of the calyx-teeth. (Classical Latin 
name of the bilberry.) 

1. V. ovatum Pursh. California Huckleberry. Evergreen shrub 


PRIMULACEAE 


123 


11 to 17 dm. high; leaves leathery, oblong-ovate, serrate, short-petioled, 
h2 to 3 cm. long; corolla pink; berry dark purple, without bloom.— 
North hill slopes near the coast. 

PRIMULACEAE. PRIMROSE FAMILY 

Low herbs with simple entire leaves and regular and symmetrical 
flowers. Sepals, petals and stamens commonly 5 (4 to 8). Stamens op¬ 
posite the lobes of the corolla and inserted on its tube or base. Ovary 
commonly superior, 1-celled, with a single style and stigma. Fruit a 
capsule.—Species about 320, of wide distribution, but most abundant in 
the north temperate zone. 


Corolla with rotate lobes; stamens distinct. 

Stem commonly branching; leaves opposite or ternate.1. Anagallis. 

Stem simple with a whorl of large leaves at summit. 2. Trientalis. 


Corolla with reflexed lobes ; leaves all basal; stamens with filaments united at base.. 

3. Dodecatheon. 

1. ANAGALLIS L. Pimpernel 

Annual. Leaves opposite or sometimes in 3s. Flowers axillary and 
solitary, on slender pedicels. Calyx 5-cleft. Corolla rotate, deeply 
5-parted into rounded lobes. Stamens 5. Filaments hairy. Pod open¬ 
ing by a lid. (Greek anagallis, delightful.) 

1. A. arvensis L. Poor Man’s Weather Glass. Leaves triangular- 
ovate, acute, sessile, about 8 mm. long; shorter than the pedicels; corolla 
vermilion, 8 to 10 mm. broad; pods on recurved pedicels.—Waste places 
about towns; nat. from Eur. The flowers open only in sunshine. 

2. TRIENTALIS L. 

Stem simple, from tuberous rootstocks, bearing scales or small leaves 
below and a whorl of large leaves above, from the center of which the 
filiform peduncles arise. Parts of the. flower in 6s, sometimes 5s or 7s. 
Corolla rotate, deeply parted. F'ilaments long, united at base into a 
short ring. Valves of the pod 5. (Latin trientalis, containing one-third 
of a foot, in allusion to the height of the plants.) 

1. T. europaea L. var. latifolia Torr. Star-flower. Stem 9.6 to 14.4 
cm. high; leaves of the whorl 5 or 6, broadly obovate, abruptly acute, 
2.4 to 4.8 cm. long; corolla red or white, about 8 mm. broad, its divisions 
abruptly acute and prolonged into a slender point.—Coast Range woods. 

3. DODECATHEON L. 

Glabrous herbs with basal leaves and a naked stem bearing an umbel 
of several flowers. Calyx 5-cleft. Corolla commonly 5-parted, with very 
short tube, the narrow divisions reflexed. Stamens 5. Filaments short 
and flat, united at least below. Fruit a pod surrounded by the now erect 
calyx, opening by a lid. (Greek dodeka, 12, and theos, god, the prim¬ 
rose being under the care of the deities.) 

Root-crown with rice-grain bulblets; herbage glabrous, the summit of the scape 

and the pedicels rarely microscopically glandular.1. D. hendersoni. 

Root-crown without rice-grain bulblets, at least before flowering. 

Herbage glabrous; anthers 2 mm. long, the connectives delicately rugulose. 

2. D. patulum. 

Scapes and pedicels minutely glandular; anthers 4 mm. long, the connectives 
strongly rugose....3. D. clevelandi. 







124 


PLUMBAGINACEAE 


1. D. hendersoni Gray. Sailor’s Caps. Mosquito Bills. Stem 2 to 
3 dm. high; leaves elliptic, the margins often crisped; umbels 3 to 13- 
flowered; the pedicels 1.2 to 8.4 cm. long: parts of the flowers sometimes 
in 4s; petals purple with a transverse yellow band at base which is edged 
above by white and bounded below by a black-purple area.—Mountains 
and low hills. 

2. D. patulum Greene. Shooting Star. Similar to no. 1; 7 to 9.6 cm. 
high; corolla white or pale cream-color.—Alkaline plains of the Sacra¬ 
mento and San Joaquin. 

3. D. clevelandi Greene. Stems 2.8 to 5.7 dm. high; corolla bright 
purple with a yellow base and some dark purple spots next the stamens.— 
S. Cal. 


PLUMBAGINACEAE. THRIFT FAMILY 

Maritime herbs. 'Stems scapose, naked, commonly hard or coriaceous, 
with the leaves in a basal tuft. Flowers regular, perfect, 5-merous 
throughout. Calyx tubular or funnel-form, plaited. Petals with long 
claws barely united into a ring at base or distinct. Stamens 5, opposite 
the petals, adnate to the base of the claw. Ovary superior, 1-celled; 
ovule 1; styles 5. Fruit a utricle or achene, borne in the base of the per¬ 
sistent calyx.—Species about 325, all continents. 

Leaves narrowly linear; scapes terminating in a globose head of flowers. 

1. Statice. 

Leaves broad; scapes terminating in a panicle.2. Limonium. 

1. STATICE L. Thrift 

Leaves narrowly linear, sedge-like, in a close tuft. Heads composed 
of numerous crowded clusters. Calyx scarious. Styles united at the very 
base. (Greek statike, astringent.) 

1. S. arctica Blake var. californica Blake. Sea-Pink. Scapes 1.6 to 
4.8 dm. high, few or solitary; leaves involute-channeled, 1 to 2 dm. long; 
flowers dull pink or flesh-color; calyx-tube 10-nerved, the nerves densely 
hispid.—Seabeaches or sandy fields along the ocean from Monterey Co. 
to Del Norte Co. 

2. LIMONIUM Hill. Marsh Rosemary 

Leaves broad, fleshy. Flowers secund, in short spikes or clusters ter¬ 
minating the many branchlets of a branching scape. Calyx hairy on the 
angles below. Styles wholly distinct. (Greek leimon, meadow.) 

i. L. californicum Hel. Scapes 2.2 to 4.3 dm. high, loosely panicu¬ 
late; leaves obovate- to oblong-spatulate, obtuse or sometimes retuse, 
tapering into a rather long petiole, 1 to 2.2 dm. long; flowers violet- 
purple; petals oblong, narrowed towards the base, 4 to 5 mm. long.— 
Salt marshes and seabeaches along the coast. 

EBENACEAE. EBONY FAMILY 

Deciduous trees or shrubs. Flowers regular. Calyx and corolla 3 to 
7-lobed, usually 4-lobed. Stamens usually 8 to 16. Ovary superior, 4 to 
12-celled; styles 2 to 6. Fruit a large berry, bearing the enlarged calyx at 
the base.—Species 250,*chiefly tropical. 




OLEACEAE 


125 


1. DIOSPYROS L. 

Foliage lustrous, handsome. Calyx and corolla more or less leathery. 
(Greek dios, Jove, and pyros, grain, on account of the edible fruit.) 

1. D. virginiana L. Common Persimmon. Branchlets usually glab¬ 
rous; leaves acuminate; berry smooth, 1.2 to 3.6 cm. broad, not ribbed.— 
Cult, from the eastern U. S. As a winter fruit the dead ripe berry is 
wonderfully delicious, but when green it is puckerv beyond all saying. 

2. D. kaki L.f. Japanese Persimmon. Branchlets appressed brown¬ 
ish-pubescent; berry usually ribbed, 3.6 to 7.2 cm. broad.—Cult, from 
Japan, two of the favored commercial varieties being Hachiya and Fuyu. 

OLEACEAE. OLIVE FAMILY 

Trees or shrubs with opposite leaves. Calyx 4-cleft or none. Corolla 
regular, 4-cleft or 2-petalous or none. Stamens 2. Ovary superior, 2- 
celled, becoming a dry winged fruit or a drupe.—About 400 species of 


temperate and tropical lands. 

Leaves simple: fruit a drupe. 1. Olea. 

Leaves pinnately compound; fruit a samara. 2. Fraxinus. 


1. OLEA L. 

Evergreen trees with simple leaves. Flowers perfect. Corolla short, 
white, 4-cleft. Fruit a drupe with a hard stone. (Classical name for the 
olive.) 

1. O. europaea L. Olive. Leaves lanceolate or somewhat oblong, 
pale, entire, whitish-scurfy beneath; fruit oblong, edible, oily.—Cult, 
from the Levant. The olive has been grown as a food plant from ancient 
times. The Romans valued it highly and dedicated the tree to the god¬ 
dess Minerva. In Cal. the crop averages about 4000 to 8000 tons a year. 

2. FRAXINUS L. Ash 

Deciduous trees or shrubs with pinnately compound leaves. Flowers 
small, in crowded panicles, appearing in spring before the leaves, either 
perfect or with the staminate and pistillate on different plants. Corolla 
none or consisting of 2 distinct petals. Fruit a flattened body with a 


long wing at apex. (The Latin name of the ash.) 

Tree : flowers dioecious ; corolla none ; style conspicuously 2-lobed.1. F. oregaiw. 

Shrub ; flowers perfect; corolla present; style obscurely lobed.2. F. dipetala 


1. F. oregana Nutt. Oregon Ash. Tree 8 to 22 m. high ; leaflets 5 to 
7, 5.1 to 12.2 cm. long; petals none; fruit 3.2 to 5.1 cm. long.—Moist 
valley flats, river banks and canon streams. The wood is hard, coarse¬ 
grained and strong; it is used for wagon parts and implement handles. 

2. F. dipetala H. & A. Mountain Ash. Shrub 1 to 3 m. high; leaf¬ 
lets 3 to 9, 1.9 to 3.8 cm. long; petals 2, white, distinct; fruit 2.5 to 3.2 
cm. long.—Canons and mountain slopes. 

GENTIANACEAE. GENTIAN FAMILY 

Glabrous herbs. Leaves opposite, simple, sessile. Flowers perfect, 
regular, 5 or 4-merous. Stamens inserted on the tube of the corolla, as 
many as its lobes. Ovary superior, 1-celled; style 1 or none ; stigmas 2.— 
Species about 600, distributed over the entire earth, but mostly alpine. 






126 


APOCYNACEAE 


1. CENTAURIUM Hill. Canchalagua 

Low erect leafy annuals. Flowers red or pink, in cymes. Calyx 
deeply parted. Corolla salverform. (Latin centum, a hundred, and 
aurium, gold piece, certain species valued medicinally.) 

1. C. venustum Rob. Stems 1 to 2 dm. high, almost simple; corolla 
vermillion or rose-color, the throat white, marked with 5 red spots or 
crescents; stigmas spatulate-fanshaped.—S. Cal., Sierra Nevada. An 
infusion of the herbage is used in rural medicine as a cure for malaria. 

2. C. trichanthum Rob. Similar to no. 1 but rather densely branched, 
with numerous flowers; stigmas short, not spatulate.—Dry open alkaline 
ground. 

APOCYNACEAE. DOGBANE FAMILY 

Herbs or shrubs with milky acrid juice. Leaves opposite or whorled, 
simple, entire. Flowers regular, 5-merous. Corolla twisted in the bud. 
Anthers conniving around the stigma. Pistils 2, superior, separate, but 
the stigmas united. Seeds with a silky or downy tuft.—Species 1000, 
principally tropical. The milky juice has poisonous properties. 

1. APOCYNUM L. Indian Hemp 

Flowers small. Corolla bell-shaped with 5 appendages inside. Sta¬ 
mens 5, inserted deep in the corolla. Filaments very short. Style none. 
(Greek apo, from, and kuon, dog, ancient name of the Dogbane.) 

1. A. androsaemifolium L. var. pumilum Gray. Mountain Hemp. 
Low herb, branches spreading; leaves oval or ovate, mucronate, greenish 
above; cymes loose; flowers white or pink; corolla-lobes revolute.—Half¬ 
open brushy or wooded slopes. 

2. A. cannabinum L. Common Indian FIemp. Tall herb, the branches 
erect or nearly so; leaves ovate to lance-oblong; cymes dense; flowers 
greenish-white; corolla-lobes nearly erect.—Banks of streams. The 
fibre was used by the Indians for cords. 

2. NERIUM L. 

Evergreen shrub. Leaves narrow, leathery. Flowers rose-like, showy, 
in terminal cymes. Throat of corolla-tube crowned by 5 teeth. Anthers 
2-tailed at the base and tapering at the apex into a long thread-like 
appendage. (Ancient name for Oleander, perhaps from Greek neros, 
moist, on account of its wild habitats.) 

1. N. oleander L. Oleander. Leaves in 2s or 3s, lanceolate; seg¬ 
ments of crown 3 or 4-toothed.—Cult, from the Levant. 

ASCLEPIADACEAE. MILKWEED FAMILY 

Perennial herbs with milky juice. Leaves opposite or whorled. Flowers 
cymose, regular. Styles distinct below but united above. Stamens 5, 
united into a tube which is blended above with the stylar column, the 
united filaments (filament-column) and united anthers (anther-column), 
here called the stamen-column, bearing hoods. Seeds with a silky tuft 
of hairs.—Species about 1800, all continents. 

1. ASCLEPIAS L. Milkweed 

Commonly erect. Calyx and corolla 5-parted, the divisions reflexed. 


CONVOLVULACEAE 


127 


Follicles ovate or lanceolate. (Greek name of the European swallow- 
wort, a plant of this family.) 

Horns present on the hoods of the stamens. 

Hoods equalling or shorter than the anther-column. 

Leaves broad; filament-column very short or almost none ; herbage hoary- 

tomentose.,...1. A. eriocarpa. 

Leaves narrow; filament-column about as long as the anther-column; 

herbage glabrous.2. A. mexicana. 

Hoods twice or thrice as long as the anther-column; filament-column very 

short or none.3. A. speciosa. 

No horns to the hoods of the stamens; herbage glabrous.4. A. cordifolia. 

1. A. eriocarpa Benth. Stem 4.3 to 8.6 elm. high; leaves broadly 
oblong, 9.6 to 21.6 cm. long, short-petioled; umbels clustered toward the 
summit; flowers 7 mm. long; corolla creamy-white; hoods pinkish.— 
Dry barren vallej^s of the Coast Range and Sierra Nevada foothills. 
From the bast fibres Indians made rope, bow-strings and squaw head- 
bands for carrying burdens. White women settlers use the silky coma of 
the seeds as floss for scent-bags, finding it superior to cotton. The 
herbage is said to poison sheep. 

2. A. mexicana Cav. Narrow-leaf Milkweed. Stem slender, 5.8 
to 14 dm. high; leaves 6 to 14.4 cm. long; umbels many, many-flowered; 
flowers greenish-white or tinged with purple.—Dry ground, valleys. 
Sometimes it becomes a weed in cult, fields or orchards. 

3. A. speciosa Torr. Creek Milkweed. Stem stout, 5.8 to 13 dm. 
high, leafy to the top; herbage soft-tomentose; leaves opposite, trans¬ 
versely veined, 9.6 to 14.4 cm. long; petals pink or reddish-purple; hoods 
yellowish.—Valley flats and along streams. 

4. A. cordifolia (Benth.) Jepson. Purple Milkweed. Stems 4.3 to 

5.8 dm. high; leaves mostly opposite, ovate-lanceolate, cordate-clasping, 

4.8 to 9.6 cm. long; corolla dark purple; hoods purplish.—Open slopes. 

CONVOLVULACEAE. MORNING GLORY FAMILY 

Chiefly twining or trailing herbs, rarely with woody stems. Leaves 
alternate. Flowers regular, the parts in 5s, except the superior ovary 
which is commonly 2-celled. Sepals distinct, imbricated. Corolla showy, 
funnelform or campanulate, plicate and twisted in the bud. Styles 1 or 
2. Fruit a capsule.—Species about 1100, all regions except the arctic 
zones. 

Stigmas filiform or ovate.1. Convolvulus. 

Stigmas capitate.-...2. Ipomaea. 

1. CONVOLVULUS L. Bindweed 
S tems twining, or trailing over the ground. Style 1, stigmas 2. Cap¬ 
sule globose, 4-seeded. (Latin convolo, to entwine.) 

Calyx not inclosed by bracts; corolla purplish outside. 

Stems herbaceous, prostrate ; bracts distant twice or at least more than their 

length below calyx; corolla white.1. C. arvensis. 

Large woody climbers ; bracts inserted less than their length below the calyx ; 

corolla purplish-white.-.2. C. luteolus. 

Calyx embraced by a pair of broad bracts ; corolla white or cream-color. 

’ Herbage glabrous or nearly so ; peduncles 4.8 to 9.6 cm. long, greatly sur¬ 
passing the leaves.3. C. occidentalis. 










128 


POLEMONIACEAE 


Herbage pubescent or villous ; peduncles shorter than the leaves. 

Leaves thin, slightly hairy; low tufted plants; leaves and peduncles basal.... 

4. C. subacaulis. 

Leaves thick, covered with a dense villous pubescence ; low trailing plants ; 

leaves and peduncles basal and borne along the stem. 

5. C. villosus. 

1. C. arvensis L. Orchard Morning Glory. Stems 2.8 to 11.5 dm. 
long: leaves oblong- or triangular-sagittate; peduncles with a pair of 
subulate or spatulate bracts near the middle: corolla 2.4 to 3.6 cm. long.— 
A great pest in cult, fields and orchards; nat. from Eur. 

2. C. luteolus Gray. Climbing over shrubs and bushes, 1 to 5 m. high : 
leaves sagittate at base, the basal lobes very variable; bracts oblong or 
lanceolate, corolla 2.4 to 3.6 cm. long, the limb scarcely angular.— 
Foothills, cent, and n. .Cal. 

3. C. occidentalis Gray. Stems freely twining, 5 to 12 dm. long; 
leaves usually triangular-ovate, acuminate at apex, cordate-sagittate to 
hastate at base, the basal lobes often 1 or 2-toothed; corolla white or 
pinkish, 2.4 to 3.6 cm. long.—Coastal S. Cal. 

4. C. subacaulis (H. & A.) Greene. Stems 2.4 to 36 cm. long, trail¬ 
ing over the ground; herbage green; leaves ovoid or deltoid, hastate or 
truncate at base, 2.4 cm. long; corolla angularly 5-lobed, 3.6 to 4.8 cm. 
long.—Dry hills, Napa Co. and s. 

5. C. villosus (Kell.) Gray. Similar to no. 4, but the whole plant 
white with a velvety tomentum.—Dry slopes. 

2. IPOMAEA L. Morning Glory 

Similar to Convolvulus but style entire. (Greek ips, bindweed, and 
homoios, like.) 

1. I. batatas Poir. Sweet Potato. Stems creeping, long and smooth, 
the roots producing large tubers with yellow flesh; leaves heart-shaped to 
triangular; flowers purple; capsule with four 1-seeded cells.—Cult, from 
trop. Am. for the tubers, which when properly baked are inexpressibly 
delicious. Yam is a cult, variety with usually larger tubers and white 
flesh. 

POLEMONIACEAE. GILIA FAMILY 

Mostly herbs with the parts of the flower in 5s except the superior 
ovary, which is 3-celled. Stamens inserted on the corolla alternate with 
its lobes, often unequal in length. Style 3-cleft. Fruit a 3-valved cap¬ 
sule.—About 200 species, principally N. Am. 

Calyx replicate in sinus ; sinus distended in age into a revolute lobe....l. Collomia. 
Calyx neither replicate nor distended in sinus. 

Leaves pinnately parted, lobed or divided, or entire, alternate or, when 
opposite, oblong-lanceolate...2. Gilia. 

Leaves palmately lobed or divided or, when entire, linear and opposite. 

3. Linanthus. 

1. COLLOMIA Nutt. 

Herbs with alternate entire or pinnate leaves. Flowers in dense brac- 
teate clusters. Calyx scarious below the sinuses which finally enlarge 
into a distinct recurved lobule. Corolla tubular-funnelform or salver- 
form. Seeds 1 to several in each cell, becoming mucilaginous when 
moistened. (Greek kolla, glue, on account of the mucilaginous seeds.) 





GILIA FAMILY 


129 


1. C. heterophylla Hook. Erect or diffusely branching, 4.8 to 24 cm. 
long; upper leaves entire or toothed, lower pinnately parted irito acute 
divisions; flowers in terminal clusters subtended by entire or deeply 
toothed bracts; corolla red-purple.—Shady places in the mountains. 

2. GILIA R. & P. 

Herbs with mostly alternate entire or variously lobed or dissected 
leaves. Flowers either scattered, or in loose or head-like clusters. Calyx 
scarious below the sinuses, its teeth equal, the tube in some species rup¬ 
tured in age by the growing pod. Corolla funnnelform to salverform. 
Seeds 1 to several in each cell of the pod. (Felipe Luis Gil, Spanish 
botanist of the latter half of the 18th century.) 

Calyx segments equal, entire. 

Leaves opposite, entire.....1. G. gracilis. 

Leaves alternate. 

Leaves mostly 1 to 3 times pinnately dissected into narrow segments. 

Stamens included ; flowers few in mostly loose clusters. 

Flowers 1-colored. 

Tube of corolla shorter than calyx ; flowers blue or purple.... 

2. G. multicaulis. 

Tube of corolla longer than calyx; flowers scarlet. 

3. G. aggregata. 

Flowers 3-colored, blue, purple, and yellow.4. G. tricolor. 

Stamens more or less exserted ; flowers in terminal capitate clusters. 

Corolla-segments nearly linear.5. G. capitata. 

Corolla-segments obovate or oblong.6. G. achilleaefolia. 

Leaves or their simple divisions linear or filiform and rigid ; calyces and 
bracts densely woolly-matted. 

Leaves 1 to 3-parted.7. G. virgata. 

Leaves 3 to 7-parted.8. G. brauntonii. 

Calyx segments mostly unequal, entire or some toothed ; flowers blue. 

9. G. squarrosa. 

1. G. gracilis Hook. Simple or branched above, 7.2 to 19.2 cm. high, 
pilose-pubescent; leaves opposite, oblong to lanceolate, entire; flowers in 
a terminal cyme; calyx cylindrical, distended in fruit; tube of corolla 
yellow, surpassing the calyx, its lobes roundish.—Foothills. 

2. G. multicaulis Benth. Branching from the base, 2 to 3.3 dm. high, 
glabrous; leaves pinnately parted into linear lobes; flowers in few- 
flowered subsessile or loose clusters; corolla deep or pale blue, its lobes 
obovate.—Hills and valleys from Marin Co. and the Vaca Mts. s. to S. Cal. 

3. G. aggregata Spreng. Scarlet Gilia. Erect, 2.8 to 8.6 dm. high; 
leaves pinnately parted into linear divisions; flowers in small clusters in 
a virgate panicle; calyx glandular, with subulate lobes; corolla from 
scarlet to pink or white.—Rocky ravines in the mountains. 

4. G. tricolor Benth. Bird’s Eyes. Erect, 1 to 2.8 dm. high, usually 
branching above the base; leaves laciniately bipinnatifid; flowers few in 
mostly loose clusters; corolla 3-colored, blue, purple and yellow, 1.2 to 1.4 
cm. long.—Low hills. 

5. G. capitata Dough Erect, 5.7 to 8.6 dm. high ; leaves several times 
palmately dissected into linear or filiform lobes; flowers in a globose 
cluster terminating a long slender naked peduncle ; calyx nearly or quite 
glabrous, its teeth lanceolate; corolla pale blue, its lobes linear.—Hill 
country. 

6. G. achilleaefolia Benth. Similar to no. 5 but flower-clusters larger 










130 


POLEMONIACEAE 


and less compact; calyx more or less woolly, the teeth triangular, acute; 
corolla blue, its lobes obovate or oblong.—Sandy soils. 

7. G. virgata Steud. At first simple, then branched, 1 to 2 dm. high ; 
lower leaves entire, upper 3-parted, the divisions filiform; flowers in small 
clusters virgately disposed; corolla light blue or whitish.—Monterey to 
S. Cal. 

8. G. brauntonii Jepson & Mason. Simple or branched annual 2 to 4 
dm. high; leaves pinnately parted into 3 to 7 filiform divisions; flowers 
in dense floccose heads; corolla vivid blue; stamens exserted beyond the 
tube, anthers sagittate.—S. Cal. G. virgata Steud. var. floribunda 
Gray.) 

9. G. squarrosa H. & A. Skunkweed. Erect, simple or branching, 2 
to 3 dm. high, noxiously glandular; leaves once or twice pinnatifid, the 
segments lanceolate; calyx-teeth lanceolate, pungent, corolla blue,—S. 
F. Bay region and n. 

3. LINANTHUS Benth. 

Slender annuals with simple or dichotomously branching stems and 
opposite palmately divided or simple leaves. Flowers mostly scattered 
or in terminal capitate clusters. Corolla rotate to funnelform or salver- 
form. Stamens included or exserted. Ovary with few to numerous 
ovules in each cell. (Greek linon, flax, and anthos, flower.) 

Corolla funnelform, the throat equal to or longer than tube. 

Flowers subsessile or on short stout pedicels.1. L. dichotomus. 

Flowers on capillary pedicels. 

Leaves linear, entire; corolla-lobes serrate-margined...2. L. dianthiflorus. 

Leaves palmately divided; corolla-lobes entire-margined. 

Stems branching above the base; plants 10 to 40 cm. high. 

3. L. liniflorus. 

Stems branching at the base, the branchlets filiform; plant 5 to 15 

cm. high.4. L. filipes. 

Corolla salverform, the tube much longer than the throat. 

Corolla not much exceeding the bracts, its lobes 2 to 3 mm. long. 

5. L. ciliatus. 

Corolla much exceeding the bracts, its lobes 3 to 7 mm. long. 

Corolla-lobes 3 to 4 mm. long ; plants often very much branched from 
the base, slender.6. L. parviflorus. 

Corolla-lobes 5 to 7 mm. long; plants usually erect, stout. 

7. L. androsaceus. 

1. L. dichotomus Benth. Evening Snow. Erect, 1 to 2 dm. high; 
nodes few and internodes very long; flowers terminal or in the forks, 
on short stout pedicels or sub-sessile; calyx-tube cylindrical, white-scari- 
ous between the ribs which are prolonged into long narrowly linear lobes; 
corolla white or nearly so, funnelform, its lobes obovate. strongly con¬ 
volute in the bud. the limb 2.4 cm. broad ; stamens included in the tube of 
the corolla, inserted below its middle, somewhat hairy at the very base. — 
Open slopes of high hills. 

2. L. dianthiflorus Greene. Simple or diffusely branching, 2.4 to 14.4 
cm. high; corolla pink, 1.2 to 1.8 cm. broad, the tube short and the lobes 
fringed.—Santa Barbara to San Diego. 

3. L. liniflorus Greene. Plants erect, 2.8 to 5.7 dm. high, branching- 
above; flowers white, in a diffuse panicle; corolla with nearly obsolete 








HYDROPHYLLACEAE 


131 


tube, the limb rotate, 1 to 1.7 cm. broad; filaments with a hairy ring* just 
above the base.—Plains and foothills. 

4. L. filipes Greene. Diffusely branching, 4.8 to 12 cm. high, the 
branches filiform; calyx turbinate; corolla short-funnelform, with limb 
4 to 6 mm. broad.—Sierra foothills. 

5. L. ciliatus (Benth.) Greene. Stems rigid, commonly 9 to 14 cm. 
high; leaves scabrous; corolla deep rose-red. often fading white, 1.2 to 1.8 
cm. long, commonly not exceeding the conspicuously hirsute-ciliate bracts; 
lobes of the corolla about 2 mm. long.—Wooded hills. 

6. L. parviflorus Benth. Simple or branching. 7 to 26 cm. high; al¬ 
most glabrous; bracts scabrous, not ciliate or scarcely so; corolla purple, 
pinkish, pale yellow or whitish. 1.8 to 3.6 cm. long, the lobes 4 to 6 mm. 
long, commonly reddish or brownish outside.—Hill and mountain slopes. 

7. L. androsaceus Benth. Usually simple, 1.6 to 3.6 dm. high, more or 
less finely tomentose; bracts ciliate, otherwise nearly glabrous; corolla 
lilac, lavender, pink or white, 2.4 cm. long, the lobes 6 to 8 mm. long; 
throat commonly dark purple with yellow border.—Hill and mountain 
sides. 


HYDROPHYLLACEAE. PHACELIA FAMILY 


Herbs or shrubs with regular flowers, the parts in 5s except the 1 or 
2-celled superior ovary. Flowers solitary and axillary, or in racemes 
or spikes which are commonly coiled. Styles 2 and distinct, or more or 
less completely united. Fruit a capsule.—About 170 species, mostly in 
temperate N. Am. 


Leaves mainly opposite; herbs. 

Calyx with a reflexed appendage at each sinus : flowers mostly solitary.. 

1. Nemophila. 

Calyx without appendages; flowers in racemes. 2. Ellisia. 

Leaves alternate or basal. 

Style 2-cleft; herbs. 

Corolla blue or white, deciduous.3. Phacelia. 

Corolla yellow, persistent. 4. Emmenanthe. 

Styles 2, distinct; shrubs with thick leaves. 5. Eriodictyon. 


1. NEMOPHILA Nutt. 

Delicate low annuals. Leaves pinnate, all or at least the lowest 
opposite. Flowers mostly solitary on axillary peduncles. Calyx with a 
reflexed appendage in each sinus. Corolla rotate-to broadly campanu- 
late. with 10 internal appendages at base. (Greek nemos, grove, and 
phileo, to love.) 

Stems with prickles ; uppermost flowers clustered ; petioles broadly winged. 


1. N. aurita. 

Stems without prickles ; flowers all solitary and axillary. 

Flowers large ; peduncles 2 to 4 times as long as leaves. 2. N. menziesii. 

Flowers small; peduncles shorter than leaves.3. N. parviflora. 


1. N. aurita Lindl. Climbing Nemophila. Stems weak and suc¬ 
culent, 4-angled, disposed to climb by the reflexed bristles which arm the 
angles; leaves deeply pinnatifid with mostly retrorse lobes, auricled at 
base; leaves above reduced and the flowers thus racemose; corolla dark 
violet, 16 to 22 mm. broad.—Oakland Hills to S. Cal. 

2. N. menziesii FI. & A. Baby Blue Eyes. Diffusely branching, 4.8 










132 


HYDROPHYLLACEAE 


to 24 cm. high; corolla bright blue, or center white, or whole corolla pale 
and often dotted, 1.2 to 2.4 cm. wide.—Moist places in the valleys and on 
the hills. (N. insignis of authors.) 

3. N. parviflora Dough Small-Flowered Nemophila. Stems slen¬ 
der and weak, trailing or procumbent; leaves mostly pinnately 3 to 5- 
lobed but variable; corolla white or whitish, 4 to 10 mm. in diameter.— 
Wooded hills. 

2. ELLISIA L. 

Leaves pinnately 1 to 3 times parted or dissected. Flowers in axillary 
peduncled racemes. Calyx without appendages at the sinuses. Corolla 
white, campanulate, shorter or little longer than the calyx, the internal 
apoendages minute or none. (John Ellis, English botanist of the 18th 
century.) 

Leaves once pinnately parted: ovules 4, borne on the front of the placentae. 

1. E. membranacea. 

Leaves twice to thrice pinnatifid ; ovules 8, 2 on the back and 2 on the front of 
each placenta..2. E. chrysanthemifolia. 

1. E. membranacea Bentb. Stems procumbent, 2.8 to 5.7 dm. long; 
leaves pinnately parted into 3 to 9 broad divisions; corolla 4 mm. broad.— 
Shady places in the foothills, San Francisco Bay to S. Cal. 

2. E. chrysanthemifolia Benth. Stem erect, freely branching, 2.8 to 
5.7 dm. high.—Shady ground, San Francisco Bay to S. Cal. 

3. PHACELIA Juss. 

Leaves alternate or basal. Flowers blue or white in coiled spikes or 
racemes. Calyx of nearly distinct sepals. Corolla from rotate to tubular, 
with internal appendages at base. (Greek phakelos, a cluster, many 
species with crowded flowers.) 

Annuals. 

Ovules usually more than 2 to each placenta; style bifid or cleft near the 


apex. .1. P. divaricata. 

Ovules always 2 to each placenta. 

Stamens not or scarcely exserted. 

Capsule ovate, mucronate; corolla blue.2. P. ciliata. 

Capsule globose ; corolla sordid white.3. P. distans. 

Stamens exserted. 

Leaves divided ; racemes 7.5 to 10 cm. long, ascending and approxi¬ 
mate.......4. P. tanacetifolia. 

Leaves simple ; spikes solitary or geminate.5. P. malvaefolia. 

Perennial or biennial; petioles long; spikes short-peduncled.6. P. californica. 


1. P. divaricata (Benth.) Gray. Stems diffusely branched, 7.2 to 
24 cm. long; leaves ovate to oblong, entire or rarely with a pair of sup¬ 
plementary lobes at base ; corolla blue, open-campanulate, 1.2 to 1.8 cm. 
broad.—Open hillsides about San Francisco Bay. 

2. P. ciliata Benth. Branched from the base; herbage scabrous; fruit¬ 
ing sepals chartaceous, oblong to broadly ovate, twice as long as the 
pod; seeds with honeycomb-like pits.—Valleys. 

3. P. distans Benth. Vervenia. Erect or diffuse, 1.4 to 3.3 dm. high; 
herbage hispid and pubescent; leaves finely dissected; corolla rotate-cam- 
panulate, 6 to 8 mm. long ; appendages with free pointed apex.—Hillsides. 

4. P. tanacetifolia Benth. Fiddle-neck. Similar to the last, but less 










BORAGINACEAE 


133 


commonly branching and leaves less dissected; corolla bluish or lavender; 
appendages wholly adnate.—Plains and valleys. 

5. P. malvaefolia Cham. Stinging Phacelia. Stems 4 dm. high, 
hispid-bristly throughout, the bristles with a conspicuous swollen base; 
leaves broadly ovate, truncate or cordate at base, slightly lobed and 
toothed; corolla white.—San Francisco Bay to S. Cal. 

6. P. californica Cham. Roc*k Phacelia. Stems erect, stout, 2.8 to 
5.7 dm. high, from a depressed leafy caudex; herbage hairy or hispid; 
leaves with a large terminal lobe and 1 to several pairs of much reduced 
lobes or leaflets below; spikes dense, usually in a cluster at the end of 
the stem; corolla purple or white, 16 mm. long; stamens exserted.— 
Rocky points and ledges. 

4. EMMENANTHE Benth. 

Leaves mostly alternate. Flowers bell-shaped, yellow or cream color, 
persistent. (Greek emmeno, to abide, and anthos, flower, the corolla not 
deciduous.) 

1. E. penduliflora Benth. Whispering Bells. Bushy plants 2 to 2.8 
dm. high; herbage somewhat sticky and soft hairy; leaves pinnatifid; 
flowers pendulous, 1.2 cm. long.—Montane, open slopes or in chaparral. 

5. ERIODICTYON Benth. 

Low shrubs with alternate leathery dentate leaves. Flowers in a ter¬ 
minal panicle, the branches coiled in the bud. Corolla funnelform, blue 
or white, without internal scales. Pod nearly or quite 2-celled by the 
meeting of the 2 placentae, 4-valved, the valves shortly beaked. (Greek 
erion, wool, and diktuon, a net, by reason of the netted woolly under¬ 
surface of the leaves.) 

L E. calif ornicum (PL & A.) Greene. Verb a Santa. Commonly 8 
to 12 dm. high; leaves very glutinous, oblong to oblanceolate, dentate ex¬ 
cept below, glabrous on the upper surface, the areas between the veins on 
the under surface with a close dense felt.—Dry mountain slopes and 
ridges, abundant and widely distributed. 

2. E. tomentosum Benth. Whole plant, even to the flowers, densely 
white woolly or in age rusty.—Mesas and hills, S. Cal. 

BORAGINACEAE. BORAGE FAMILY 

Herbs. Leaves simple, commonly entire, mostly alternate. Flowers 
regular, the parts in 5s, except the superior ovary which is 4-lobed, borne 
chiefly in 1-sided coiled spikes or racemes. Style 1. Fruit splitting into 
4 one-seeded nutlets.—Species 1500, temperate and tropical zones. 

Nutlets erect; annuals. 

Flowers white. 

Lowest leaves opposite. 1. Allocarya. 

Leaves mostly in a basal tuft.2. Plagiobothrys. 

Flowers yellow.-. 3. Amsinckia. 

Nutlets broad, depressed, covered all over with short barbed prickles : flowers blue ; 

perennials.-•.4. Cynoglossum. 

1. ALLOCARYA Greene 

Ours annuals with linear or narrow leaves, the lowest always opposite. 
Calyx persistent. Corolla white, with yellow throat, salverform with 






134 


BORAGINACEAE 


short tube, the processes in the throat none or reduced. Nutlets ovate 
or ovate-lanceolate, smooth or variously roughened. (Greek alios, 
diverse, and karua, nut, the plants separated from Cryptanthe on account 
of the different fruits.) 

1. A. californica (F. & M.) Greene. Branching herb, 2.3 to 3 dm. 
high; flowers 2 to 6 mm. broad; nutlet keeled ventrally and a little past 
the apex dorsally.—Common in low ground. 

2. PLAGIOBOTHRYS F. & M. 

Stems usually several from the base. Leaves mostly in a basal tuft. 
Herbage soft-pubescent and often rusty. Corolla white, mostly with 
crests in the throat. Nutlets ovate, keeled on both sides toward the apex 
and often also laterally margined, attached above their base or by their 
middle to the receptacle. (Greek plagios, on the side, and bothrus, pit 
or excavation, the first known species having a hollow scar.) 

1. P. nothofulvus Gray. Snow-flower. Erect or nearly so, 3 to 7.6 
dm. high; leaves oblong-ovate to lanceolate; calyx in fruit circumscissile 
below the middle, the upper part falling away and leaving the persistent 
base about the nutlets; corolla 4 to 6 mm. broad.—Hills and mountains. 

2. P. canescens Benth. Branches several from the base, long and 
straggling, 1.5 to 4.6 dm. long, loosely flower-bearing nearly throughout; 
leaves oblong to linear or lanceolate; calyx persistent, its lobes connivent 
over nutlets in age and depressed.—Low open hills. 

3. AMSINCKIA Lehm. 

Herbage rough-hairy, the hairs with an enlarged base which is often 
conspicuously hardened or granular. Flowers yellow. Corolla some¬ 
what salver form, the throat with folds but destitute of crests. Nutlets 
ovate-triangular, the surface shell-like, either smooth or rough. (Wm. 
Amsinck of Hamburg, patron of the Botanic Garden of that city.) 


Corolla 12 to 14 mm. long.1. A. intermedia. 

Corolla 8 to 10 mm. long.2. A. spectabilis. 

1. A. intermedia F. & M. Buckthorn-weed. Stems erect, often 


widely branching, to 9 dm. high; leaves oblong-lanceolate to linear; 
corolla 8 to 10 mm. long, its limb about 6 mm. in diameter; nutlets in¬ 
curved, 2.5 mm. long.—Common in grain fields. 

2. A. spectabilis F. & M. Corolla 12 to 14 mm. long, its limb about 
8 mm. in diameter; nutlet somev/hat compressed laterally.—S. Cal. and n. 

4. CYNOGLOSSUM L. 

Coarse perennial herb with broad leaves. Flowers blue, in a ter¬ 
minal loose cluster. Corolla with a ring of conspicuous appendages or 
crests at the throat. Nutlets bur-like. (Greek kuon, a dog, and glossa, 
tongue, on account of the shape and texture of the leaves in some 
species.) 

1. C. grande Dough Western Hound’s Tongue. Erect, 3 to 9 dm. 
high; leaves mostly basal, 7 to 18 cm. long, on long petioles; corolla 1.2 
to 1.4 cm. long, the stamens inserted in the throat.—Coast Range woods, 
Monterey and n. 




LABIATAE 


135 


LABIATAE. MINT FAMILY 

Aromatic herbs or low shrubs with square stems and opposite leaves. 
Calyx synsepalous, usually 5-toothed. Corolla 2-lipped, usually with 2 
lobes in the upper lip and 3 in the lower. Stamens 4, in two pairs, or 
the upper pair wanting. Ovary superior, 4-lobed, splitting when ripe 
into 4 seed-like nutlets.—About 2,800 species distributed over the whole 
earth. Nearly all species have an aromatic odor due to the secretion of 
a volatile oil which has the characteristic taste of peppermint. 

A. Flowers solitary in the axils; stamens 4 

Calyx with entire lips, a crest on the upper side.2. Scutellaria. 

Calyx not crested on upper side. 

Trailing herb; flowers small.8. Micromeria. 

Shrub ; flowers large..9. Sphacele. 

B. Flowers in clusters, often crowded in the axils of the opposite 
leaves and having the appearance of a whorl 

Stamens conspicuously long-exserted and curved.1. Trichostema. 

Stamens moderately exserted or included. 

Corolla little irregular. 

Flowers in axillary whorls.11. Mentha. 

Flowers in terminal bracted heads; segments of the corolla narrow and 

very similar.....10. Monardella. 

Corolla plainly 2-lipped. 

Calyx regular ; flowers in whorls. 

Calyx-teeth 10, slender, hooked at tip; stamens included in corolla- 

tube....3. Marrubium. 

Calyx-teeth 5, triangular, cuspidate; stamens projecting beyond 

corolla-tube which has a hairy rim within.5. Stachys. 

Calyx 2-lipped or its teeth unequal. 

Stamens 4 (or 2). 

Flowers in a dense terminal spike with roundish bracts ; upper 

calyx-lip truncate with 3 cusps on the margins. 

4. Brunella. 

Flowers in whorls, the whorls in a spike; upper calyx-lip 

3-toothed.7. Pogogyne. 

Stamens 2, the upper pair of stamens none or rudimentary; flowers 
in whorls or a panicle...6. Salvia. 

1. TRICHOSTEMA L. Blue Curls 
L eaves entire. Flowers blue in axillary cymes or becoming raceme¬ 
like in age. Calyx almost equally 5-cleft. Corolla with oblique limb, 
the oblong lobes nearly alike, the tube long, slender, abruptly curved into 
an arc of a circle just below the limb. Filaments hair-like, curved out¬ 
ward and downward and very much exserted. (Greek trichos, hair, and 
stern on, stamen.) 

Shrubby; leaves revolute; herbage sweet, aromatic.1. T. lanatum. 

Annuals, 2.8 dm. high or less; leaves plane; herbage ill-scented. 

Stems very leafy; flower clusters nearly sessile.2. T. lanceolatum. 

Stems sparsely leafy; flower clusters peduncled.3. T. laxum. 

1. T. lanatum Benth. Romero. About 8.5 to 11.5 dm. high; leaves 
numerous, narrowly linear, green and glabrous above, white-woolly be¬ 
neath ; flowers numerous in a virgate spike which is densely purple-woolly 
even to the calyx and (2.4 cm. long) corolla.—S. Cal. The herbage is 
used by Spanish-Californians as a remedy for ulcers and inflammations 
of the skin. 
















136 


LABIATAE 


2. T. lanceolatum Beuth, Vinegar Weed. Stem simple or branch¬ 
ing from the base; leaves lanceolate, sessile or nearly so; flower-clusters 
short-peduncled or nearly sessile.—Dry plains and hills. It is abundant 
over the interior foothills and is, in summer, an important bee plant. 

3. T. laxum Gray. Blue Curls. Leaves lanceolate or oblong-lanceo¬ 
late, petioled; flower-clusters rather loose.—Stream beds or low fields. 

2. SCUTELLARIA L. Skull-cap 

Perennial herbs. Flowers solitary in the axils of the opposite leaves or 
the upper leaves reduced and the inflorescence spike-like. Calyx 2 lipped, 
both lips entire, the upper with a scale-like or crest-like- projection on 
the back. Corolla strongly 2-lipped with narrow upper lip, its tube long- 
exserted. (Latin scutella, a dish, on account of the conspicuous pro- 
truberance on the fruiting calyx.) 

1. S. tuberosa Benth. Blue Skull-cap. Stems 7.2 to 12 cm. high, 
from tuber-bearing rootstocks; leaves ovate or oval, petioled; corolla 
blue, 14 to 18 mm. long.—Shady woods or sandy valleys. 

2. S californica Gray. Stems clustered, commonly simple, 2 to 3.6 
dm. high, the rootstocks not tuberous; leaves oval to lanceolate, crenate 
or entire, those subtending the flowers much reduced; corolla whitish or 
yellowish, 1.6 to 2.4 cm. long, the throat inflated.—Borders of thickets 
or woods. 

3. MARRUBIUM L. 

Perennial white-woolly herbs with wrinkled leaves and white flowers 
in whorls. Calyx cylindric, 10-ribbed and 10-toothed, the spine-like 
teeth recurved at tip. Corolla-tube included in calyx, the upper lip erect 
and 2-cleft, the lower spreading and 3-cleft. (From the Hebrew, mean¬ 
ing bitter.) 

1. M. vulgare L. Common Horehound. Stems tufted, 2 to 5.7 dm. 
high; leaves roundish, crenate, petioled.—Nat. from Eur., denizen of 
waste places. An infusion of the herbage is used as a domestic remedy 
for colds and coughs. 

4. BRUNELLA L. 

Perennial herbs, the nearly simple stems terminated by a few whorls 
of flowers in a short spike ; each whorl composed of 6 sub-sessile flowers 
and subtended by broad floral bracts. Calyx thin, veiny, 2-lipped; upper 
lip truncate with 3 minute hard teeth; lower lip 2-cleft; lips closed in 
fruit. Upper lip of corolla erect, elongated, entire, the lower 3-lobed 
with the middle lobe hanging downward. Stamens with each filament 
(or those of the upper stamens) with a small tooth below the anther. 
(Old German breune or braune, an affection of the throat, which self- 
heal was used to cure.) 

1. B. vulgaris L. Self-Heal. Green and nearly glabrous, 9.6 to 24 
cm. high; leaves oblong to ovate-lanceolate, obscurely serrate, petioled; 
corolla, blue, pinkish or rarely white, exceeding the purplish calyx.— 
Woods near the coast and at middle altitudes in the mountains. 

5. STACHYS L. Hedge Nettle 

Hispid or soft-hairy herbs with the flowers few in the axils of the 
upper reduced leaves, thus forming an interrupted spike-like inflores- 


MINT FAMILY 


137 


cence. Calyx tubular-bellshaped or topshaped, 5 to 10-nerved and; 5,- 
toothed. Corolla-tube cylindrical; upper lip mostly erect and sonle- 
what concave, entire or notched; lower lip longer, spreading, 3-lobed, 
the middle lobe larger and the lateral deflexed. (Greek stachus, an ear 
of corn, hence a spike; these plants have a spicate inflorescence.) 

Flowers purplish; stems retrorsely hispid or hirsute.1. 5. bullata. 

Flowers whitish. 

Whorls distinct or indistinct; inflorescence 7 to 21 cm. long: herbage white- 
woolly..."....2. S. albens. 

Whorls distinct; inflorescence 4.8 to 9.6 cm. long; herbage villous or silky- 
hirsute.3. S. ajugoides. 

1. S. bullata Benth. Scare-weed, Stems simple or rarely branched 
above, 2 to 5.7 dm. high; herbage hispid, the stems retrorsely hispid, 
especially on the angles; leaves oblong-ovate, crenate; flowers about 6 in 
the axils of the opposite pair of leaves; flowers pinkish or purplish, 8 to 
10 mm. long.—Common on low hills or in valleys. Sometimes it is a 
pest in low or bottom lands; in a series of excessively wet years it 
sometimes invades rich valley lands in an alarming manner, but a re¬ 
currence of normal rainfall causes it to disappear. 

2. S. albens Gray. Stems erect, 5.7 to 14 dm. high; leaves ovate to 
lanceolate; whorls mostly indistinct and spicate, many-flowered.—Along 
rivulets or near springs in the dry inner country. 

3. S. ajugoides Benth. Stems mostly erect, simple, 2 to 5.7 dm. tall ; 
leaves oblong; one or two flower clusters below in the axils of upper 
ordinary leaves, the leaves above becoming bract-like and the clusters 
less remote.—Low lands. 

6. SALVIA L. Sage 

Herbs or low shrubs, the flowers usually in whorls and the whorls in 
terminal racemes or spikes. Calyx 2-lipped, the upper lip entire or 3- 
toothed, the lower 2-cleft. Upper lip of corolla erect (sometimes almost 
none), the lower lip spreading, 3-lobed, the middle lobe often notched, 
cleft or fringed. Stamens inserted in the throat of the corolla, the upper 
pair sterile or rudimentary, the lower pair fertile with the anther-cells 
separated on a long filament-like connective which is jointed by the 
middle or near one end to the filament; upper end of connective with a 
perfect anther-cell, lower end with a rudiment or none. (Latin salveb, 
to save, some of the species being officinal.) 

Lower end of connective bearing a deformed anther-cell or rudiment; flower- 


whorls few; annuals. 

Herbage white-woolly; bracts much surpassing the flowers.1. S. carduacecl. 

Herbage dark green ; bracts not exceeding the flowers.2. Y. columbariae. 

Lower end of connective reduced to a subulate joint (the filament apparently 
simple) ; flower-whorls several; perennials. 

Coarse herb with simple stems ; corolla crimson.3. S. spathdcea. 

Shrubs, freely branching; corolla white, whitish or bluish. 

Leaves green ; style and stamens little exserted.4. S', mellifera. 

Leaves white; style and stamens long exserted.5. S. apiana. 


1. S. carduacea Benth. Thistle-Sage. Stems 1 or several from a 
rosette of basal leaves, naked, bearing 1 to 4 whorls of flowers; leaves 
pinnatifid with spiny teeth ; bracts ovate or lanceolate, spiny, surpassing 
the flowers; corolla light blue, 2.4 cm, long; upper lip 2-cleft; lower lip 










138 


LABI AT AE 


with small lateral lobes and an exceedingly large fan-shaped middle lobe 
which is deeply fringed.—Sandy valleys. 

2. S. columbariae Benth. Chi a. Stems 1 or several, mostly simple, 
bearing 1 or 2 pairs of leaves and 1 or 2 whorls of flowers; bracts round¬ 
ish, acuminate and cuspidate ; corolla blue, little exceeding the calyx, its 
upper lip notched, its lower lip with small lateral lobes and a large, some¬ 
what 2-lobed middle one.—Mountain slopes. The seeds were gathered 
by the native tribes, forming part of their pinole or meal. 

3. S. spathacea Greene. Crimson Sage. Glandular, pubescent, 4 to 5 
dm. high; upper surface of leaves dark green, under surface with short 
white tufts of wool; leaves ample, broadly oblong-ovate, crenate; flower- 
whorls 5 or 6, subtended by broad purplish bracts; calyx veiny, flattened 
sidewise but somewhat inflated, 2.4 cm. long or more; corolla 3 to 3.6 
cm. long, the upper lip short, nearly erect, notched, the lower lip spread¬ 
ing with the lateral lobes short and the middle lobe large, inversely heart- 
shaped and very broad; stamens much exserted.—Open woods of the 
Coast Ranges. 

4. S. mellifera Greene. Black Sage. Shrub 8.6 to 17 dm. high, the 
herbaceous flowering branches very leafy at the base; leaves narrow 
oblong; corolla-tube longer than limb; upper lip notched, middle lobe of 
lower tip transversely oblong or roundish, joined to the main part of lip 
by a narrow constriction.—Hill country, S. Cal. and n. to Mt. Diablo. 
It is a very important bee shrub, especially southward. 

5. S. apiana Jepson. White Sage. Shrub 8.6 to 23 or 28 dm. high, 
with long wand-like branches; leaves oblong-lanceolate; flowers in an 
open paniculate inflorescence; bracts and bractlets lanceolate, at length 
reflexed; lower lip of corolla 1.2 cm. long, twice the length of the upper; 
corolla-tube 6 mm. long.—Dry hills, S. Cal., where it is one of the most 
important native bee shrubs. 

7. POGOGYNE Benth. 

Low sweet-aromatic annuals with the flowers in whorls and the whorls 
crowded into dense spikes or the lower whorls distinct. Calyx unequally 
and deeply 5-cleft. Corolla straight, tubular-funnelform, blue or purplish, 
the upper lip erect and entire, the lower spreading with 3 similar oval 
lobes. Stamens 4 with anthers, or the upper shorter pair sterile. Style 
somewhat exserted, bearded above. (Greek pogon, beard, and gune, fe¬ 
male, on account of the hairy style.) 

1. P. douglasii Benth. Simple or commonly branching, 9.6 to 14.4 cm. 
high or more; leaves oblanceolate or obovate; stamens 4.—Abundant in 
low valley fields. 

8. MICROMERIA Benth. 

Trailing perennial herb. Flowers small, white, solitary and pediceled 
in the axils. Calyx tubular, almost equally 5-toothed. Corolla evidently 
2-lipped. Stamens 4, included. (Greek mikros, small, and meros, part, 
on account of the small size of the flowers.) 

1. M. chamissonis Greene. Yerba Buena. Stems slender, 2.8 dm. 
long or more; leaves round-ovate, crenate, petioled; corolla pubescent ex¬ 
ternally, 8 mm. long.—Woods near the coast. The herbage is valued 
medicinally by Spanish-Californians, being used as a soporific. 


SOLANACEAE 


139 


9. SPHACELE Benth. 

Shrubby plant with the large white or pink-tinted flowers solitary in 
the axils of the reduced upper leaves. Calyx bell-shaped, equally 5-lobed, 
veiny, inflated and membranous after flowering. Corolla with 4 short 
spreading lobes, the fifth and lowest lobe much longer and erect, its tube 
broad with a hairy ring at base within. (Sphakos, the name of the 
Greeks for sage, the plants of this genus having similar foliage.) 

1. S. calycina Benth. Pitcher Sage. Plants about 8.6 or 11.5 dm. 
high, the herbage pubescent or woolly; leaves ovate, toothed, 4.8 to 9.6 
cm. long, the lowest petioled, the uppermost sessile.—Hillsides and canons. 

10. MONARDELLA Benth. 

Rather pleasantly fragrant herbs with the flowers in heads. Heads ter¬ 
minal on the stems or branches, subtended by broad bracts which are 
often more or less colored. Calyx tubular, 15-nerved, with 5 equal or 
nearly equal teeth. Corolla rose-purple, lavender or dull white, the upper 
lip 2-cleft, the lower 3-parted, all the lobes linear or narrowly oblong. 
(Diminutive of Monarda, on account of its resemblance to that genus.) 

1. M. villosa Benth. Perennial; stems mostly simple, several or many 
from a toughish or woody base; leaves round-ovate to lanceolate, entire 
or more commonly serrate, 1.2 to 2.4 cm. long, petioled.—Rocky hills. 

11. MENTHA L. Mint 

Odorous perennial herbs with slender creeping rootstocks and small 
flowers in whorls. Calyx bell-shaped or short-tubular, commonly 5- 
toothed. Corolla with a short tube, the upper lip notched, scarcely or 
not at all larger than the 3-lobed lower one. (Ancient Greek name.) 
Flower-whorls in the axils of foliage leaves, distinct. 

Herbage commonly light green : branches leafy to the end....l. M. canadensis. 

Herbage somewhat grayish ; leaves toward the end of the branches reduced 

and inconspicuous.2. M. pulegium. 

Flower-whorls in terminal spikes (or some in the axils of the upper foliage 
leaves). 

Leaves petioled ; spikes thick, dense or little interrupted.3. M. piperita. 

Leaves sessile or nearly so ; spikes slim, mostly interrupted.4. M. spicata. 

1. M. canadensis L. Tule Mint. Stems simple or much branched, 4 
to 11 dm. long; leaves oblong-lanceolate, serrate, petioled; calyx-teeth 
similar and equal or nearly so.—Marshes. 

2. M. pulegium L. Pennyroyal, Stems 3 to 6 dm. high; leaves ellip¬ 
tic- to oblong-ovate, serrate or entire, petioled ; calyx-teeth dissimilar, the 
two lower lanceolate-subulate.—Wet ground; nat. from Eur. and some¬ 
times grown in kitchen gardens, the herbage used for seasoning. 

3. M. piperita L. Peppermint. Stems erect, unbranched below the 
terminal inflorescence; herbage glabrous; leaves ovate to oblong-lanceo¬ 
late, sparsely and sharply serrate.—Along streamlets; nat. from Eur. 

4. M. spicata L. Spearmint. Similar to no. 3; calyx campanulate, 
its teeth nearly as long as tube.—Wet places; nat. from Eur. 

SOLANACEAE. NIGHTSHADE FAMILY 

Herbs (rarely shrubs) with alternate leaves, regular 5-lobed corolla, 5 
stamens, a single style, and a 2-celled superior ovary which ripens into a 





140 


SOLANACEAE 


many-seeclecl capsule or berry.—Species about 1600, tropical and warm- 
temperate regions. The family is remarkable for its large number of 
both poisonous plants and edible plants. Atropa belladonna L. furnishes 
atropine, Solanum nigrum L. (Black Nightshade) yields solanine, Datura 
stramonium L. (Jamestown Weed) yields stramonium, and Nicotiana 
tabacum L. (Tobacco) furnishes nicotine:—all effective alkaloidal poi¬ 
sons. Hyoscyamus niger L. (Henbane) and Physalis alkekengii L. 
(Winter Cherry) yield narcotics; while Solanum tuberosum L. (Potato) 
and Lycopersicum esculentum Mill. (Tomato) are edible. The leaves 


of all species are probably narcotic and exciting. 

Corolla rotate ; fruit a berry ; flowers in umbels or cymes. 

Anthers distinct, shorter than the filaments..1. Capsicum. 

Anthers more or less coherent, longer than the filaments. 

Anthers lightly joined around the st)de and opening by a terminal hole.... 

2. Solanum. 

Anthers united at tip and opening lengthwise.3. Lycopersicum. 

Corolla funnelform or tubular ; fruit a dry pod. 

Flowers solitar}^, very large ; pod prickly. 4. Datura. 

Flowers in a terminal panicle; pod smooth.5. Nicotiana. 

1. CAPSICUM L. 


Annual herbs. Leaves ovate, entire. Flowers white. Calyx truncate. 
Berry often dryish, inflated and 1-celled. (Etymology unknown.) 

1. C. annum L. Chile Pepper. Berry red or green, large, oblong or 
globular, often angled, dry.—Cult, from the American tropics. The berry 
is amazingly pungent and is used as a condiment by Mexicans and others. 
When dried and ground it forms Cayenne Pepper. Prescott, the historian, 
said, in Spain, that politeness made him taste, but no power on earth 
could compel him to eat foods cooked with cayenne, for they were hotter 
than the Inquisition. 

2. SOLANUM L. Nightshade 

Ours herbs with flowers in umbels on short lateral or terminal pe¬ 
duncles. Corolla rotate. Anthers almost sessile, lightly joined around the 
style and opening by a pore at apex. Fruit a berry. (Latin name of the 
nightshade, from solamen, quieting.) 

Plants not at all prickly ; anthers obtuse. 

Plants without rootstocks, not bearing tubers. 

Peduncles much shorter than the pedicels or almost none. 

1. S. umbelliferum. 


Peduncles longer than the pedicels. 

Annual ; flowers 4 to S mm. broad.2. S', nigrum. 

Perennial; flow r ers 6 to 11 mm. broad.3. S', douglasii. 

Plants with rootstock, the rootstock developing tubers....A S', tuberosum. 

Plants more or less prickly; anthers acute.5. S', melongea. 


1. S. umbelliferum Esch. Blue Witch. Stems mostly 5.7 to 8.6 dm. 
high, often woody at base; herbage finely pubescent with branched hairs; 
leaves elliptic-ovate; peduncles shorter than the pedicels or almost none; 
corolla blue, 1.8 cm. broad, with 5 pairs of greenish glands near the base; 
berry dull white, 8 to 18 mm. in diameter.—Gulches and canons. S. 
xanti Gray. Similar, herbaceous; pubescence viscid with simple hairs.— 
S. Cal. 

2. S. nigrum L. Black Nightshade. Low diffuse annual; herbage 
glabrous but the stems scahrbus on the angles; leaves elliptic-ovate. 











NIGHTSHADE FAMILY 


141 


petioled: peduncles longer than the pedicels; corolla whitish, aging pur¬ 
plish, 6 mm. broad or less; berries blue-black, nearly as large as peas, 
borne on more or less recurved pedicels.—Waste ground, in moist or 
shady places. 

3. S. douglasii Dunal. Similar to no. 2 but perennial; herbage lightly 
puberulent; leaves triangular-ovate; corollas larger.—Monterey to S. Cal. 

4. S. tuberosum L. Potato. Erect; leaves pinnate, of several ovate 
leaflets with minute ones intermixed; flowers blue or white; berries green. 
—Cult, from S. Am. for the tubers. 

5. S. melongea L. Egg-plant. Leaves ovate, obscurely sinuate, 
rather downy; corolla violet with yellow eye; fruit very large, oblong 
or ovate, violet-color or whitish.—Cult, from India. 

3. LYCOPERSICUM Mill. 

Herbs with rank-scented foliage, pinnately compound leaves, and yel¬ 
low flowers. Corolla rotate, with very short tube. Anthers converging 
around the style, united by a membrane at their tips and opening length¬ 
wise. Fruit a several-celled and many-seeded large berry. (Greek lucos, 
wolf, and persicum, peach, perhaps because the primitive fruit is a danger¬ 
ous poison.) 

1. L. esculentum Mill. Tomato. Hairy herb; leaves interruptedly 
pinnate, the larger leaflets cut or pinnatifid, ovate or ovate-oblong and 
pointed; flower clusters short and forked; berry red or yellow, varying 
much in cultivation.—Cult, from trop. Am. 

4. DATURA L. Thorn-apple 

Coarse rank-smelling herbs with ovate leaves and large showy flowers 
in the forks of the branching stem. Calyx circumscissile near the base, 
the lower part persisting as a rim or collar beneath the fruit. Corolla 
funnelform with ample plaited border. Fruit a globose prickly capsule. 
(The Hindoo name, dhatura.) 

1. D. meteloides DC. Tolguacha. Branching plant 5.7 to 8.6 dm. 
high ; corolla white, 1.4 to 1.9 dm. long, the border with 5 awl-shaped 
teeth 1.2 to 1.8 cm. long; persistent base of calyx rotate; pods nod¬ 
ding, the spines short.—Valleys. 

2. D. stramonium L. Stramonium. Stems greenish; corolla white, 
4.8 to 9.6 cm. long; pods erect, with few spines, the lower much shorter 
than the stout upper ones which are often 1.8 cm. long.—Naturalized 
weed, native of eastern U. .S. 

5. NICOTIANA L. Tobacco 

Heavv-scented herbs with entire leaves and flowers in clusters. Calyx 
persistent about the 2-celled smooth capsule. Corolla salverform or 
funnelform. (Jean Nicot, 1530-1600, French diplomat and author of 
the most ancient dictionary of the French language, but more celebrated 
as having introduced tobacco into France from Portugal.) 


Annuals; herbage viscid. 

Flowers red; cauline leaves sessile.1. N. tabacum. 

Flowers white, native species. 

Leaves sessile or sometimes tapering into a petiole; corolla limb 1.8 to 

2.4 cm. broad.2. N. bigelovii. 

Leaves all petioled; corolla limb 6 to 10 mm. broad.3. N. attenuata. 

Shrubs ; flowers yellow ; herbage glabrous and glaucous.4. N. glauca. 






142 


SCROPH ULARIACEAE 


1. N. tabacum L. Common Tobacco. Leaves half-clasping, ovate, 
oblong, elliptic or lanceolate; calyx-teeth unequal; corolla red, its tube 
white; throat more or less inflated.—Cult.; native of America. The use 
of tobacco was introduced into England by Sir Walter Raleigh. Sir 
Walter started such a smoke as will in all probability never be ex¬ 
tinguished in Christendom. The price of smoking tobacco aside, our 
people pay indirectly (through conflagrations traceable to smoking) a 
larger sum by far for this kind of 
luxury than any other. Tobacco 
has also been made \famous by 
'‘little Johnny Reed,” though not in 
the way that was intended. 

2. N. bigelovii Wats. Fig. 5. 

Stem simple at base and branched 
above, 4 to 8 dm. high; leaves 
oblong-ovate, sessile (except the 
basal ones) ; calyx-teeth as long as 
tube; filaments unequally inserted 
high in the tube, glabrous.—Plains 
and valleys. 

3. N. attenuata Torr. Indian 
Tobacco. Habit of no. 2; leaves 
petioled ; calyx-teeth commonly 34 
to H as long as tube; filaments 
equally inserted low down in cor¬ 
olla-tube, pubescent below the mid¬ 
dle.—Plains and valleys. 

4. N. glauca Graha m. Tree 
Tobacco. Soft-woody evergreen 
shrub, 1.7 to 4.3 m. high; leaves 
ovate; throat of corolla constricted 
just below the short limb.—Natur¬ 
alized about interior towns, native 
of S. Am. 

SCROPHULARIACEAE. FIGWORT FAMILY 

Herbs or low shrubs with perfect flowers. Corolla 2-lipped or only 
slightly irregular. Stamens 4 and unequal, less commonly 5 or 2, the fifth 
stamens often represented by a sterile filament or gland. Ovary superior, 
2-celled; style 1; stigma commonly 2-lobed, rarely entire. Fruit a many- 
seeded capsule.—About 2500 species, distributed over the whole earth. 

A. Leaves opposite ( or the upper sometimes alternate). 

Fifth stamen present as a sterile filament, scale or gland. 

Annuals ; corolla strongly 2-lipped with the middle lobe of the lower lip sac- 
like and inclosing stamens and style; fifth stamen reduced to a mere 
papilla-like gland. 1 . Collinsia. 

Perennials. 

Corolla-tube somewhat globular, the 2 upper and 2 lateral lobes erect, 
the lower one reflexed ; sterile filament adnate to upper side of 
corolla.2. Scrophularia. 















FIGWORT FAMILY 


143 


Corolla from strongly 2-lipped to nearly regular; sterile filament con¬ 
spicuous, often equaling the fertile ones.3. Pentstemon. 

Fifth stamen wholly absent. 

Stamens 4 ; corolla tubular or funnelform, 2-lipped ; calyx 5-angled. 

Shrubs. 4. Diplacus, 

Herbs.. 5. Mimulus. 

Stamens 2 ; corolla nearly rotate, 4-cleft; calyx 4-parted. 6. Veronica. 


B. Leaves alternate. 

Calyx tubular, 4-cleft, or cleft before and behind with the lobes entire or 2-cleft. 
Upper lip long and narrow, very much exceeding the small 3-toothed lower lip ; 

bracts with colored tips.7. Castilleia. 

Upper lip similar to preceding, but little or not at all exceeding the conspicu¬ 
ously 3-saccate lower lip ; bracts with or without colored tips. 

8. Orthocarpus. 

Calyx narrowly campanulate, 5-toothed; upper lip of corolla long, arched, the 
lower very short, of 3 small lobes.9. Pedicularis. 


1. COLLINSIA Nutt. 

Low slender annuals with the flowers in whorls. Calyx 5-cleft. Corolla 
2-lipped, its tube short, the abruptly expanded throat forming ^n angle 
with it; upper lip 2-cleft; lower lip larger, 3-lobed, the middle lobe sac- 
like or keel-shaped and inclosing the 4 declined stamens and styles. Gland 
at base of corolla on upper side representing fifth stamen. (Zaccheus 
Collins, American botanist of Philadelphia, 1764-1831.) 

Flowers solitary or in whorls of 2 or 3, some or all the pedicels much longer than 

the flowers .. .. 1 . C. sparsiflora. 

Flowers crowded in whorls, with short pedicels or almost sessile. 

Corolla rose-purple or violet, the upper lip paler ; herbage not staining brown.. 

2. C. bicolor. 

Corolla white to yellowish; herbage staining brownish.3. C. tinctoria „ 

1. C. sparsiflora F. & M. About 1.4 dm. high, freely branching; 
herbage reddish; lowest leaves elliptical, 6 mm. long, on petioles nearly 
as long, the upper oblong to linear, becoming gradually sessile; corolla 
8 to 12 mm. long, bluish or purplish, sometimes yellowish at base; upper 
pair of filaments hairy, as in all the following.—Low fields or wet hill¬ 
sides.—Var. franciscana Jepson. Stouter, 1.4 to 4.3 dm. high; leaves 
ovate-lanceolate, 3 to 5 in a whorl.—Sandy lands near coast. 

2. C. bicolor Benth. Chinese Houses. Simple or branching from 
the middle, 1 to 4 dm. high; leaves oblong, serrulate; calyx-lobes com¬ 
monly lanceolate, acute; corolla rather less than 2.4 cm. long, rose-purple 
or violet, the upper lip conspicuous, more or less white ; throat saccate, 
bristly within, oblique with the tube.—Edges of woods, common. 

3. C. tinctoria Hartw. Stems stoutish, simple or diffusely branching, 
2.5 to 5.5 dm. long; corolla declined a little below the horizontal, the 
throat at right angles with the tube; upper lip very short, with 2 trans¬ 
verse purple lines.—Wooded hillsides, Sierra foothills, rare in the Coast 
Ranges. 

2. SCROPHULARIA L. Figwort 

Tall herbs with small lurid red flowers in a terminal panicle. Calyx 
deeply 5-cleft. Corolla-tube somewhat globular, the 2 upper and 2 lat¬ 
eral lobes erect, the short lower one deflexed. Stamens 4, declined, a 
fifth sterile stamen adnate to the corolla-tube on upper side. (Latin 
scrofulae, the plant a one-time remedy for scrofula.) 











144 


SCROPHULARIACEAE 


1. S. californica Cham. Leaves ovate, heart-shaped at base, serrate. 
—Common in moist places along gulches or in the hills. 

3. PENTSTEMON Ait. 

Perennial herbs or sometimes with woody stems. Flowers showy, in 
racemes or panicles. Corolla tubular. 2-lipped or the segments almost 
alike. Stamens with anthers 4, the fifth stamen represented by a con¬ 
spicuous sterile filament. (Greek pente, five, and stemon, stamen.) 
Fertile filaments all bearded or pubescent at base, anthers glabrous; shrubs or 
bushes. 

Corolla red, tubular, the lips shorter than the narrow tube.1. P. cordifolius. 

Corolla yellowish, gaping, the spreading lips longer than the short tube. 

2. P. breviflorus. 

Fertile filaments mostly not bearded at base ; herbage glabrous or nearly so. 

Anthers dehiscing their whole length or nearly so. 

Leaves entire, sessile or subcordate-clasping ; corolla vermillion. 

3. P. centranthifolius. 

Leaves acutely dentate, sessile or the low’est petioled, the upper connate- 
perfoliate; corolla red-purple.4. P. spectabilis. 

Anthers dehiscing from the apex to the middle only ; corolla blue or purple.... 

5. P. heterophyllus. 

1. P. cordifolius Benth. Scrambling over bushes by its long woody 
runner-like branches; leaves ovate, often heart-shaped at base, finely 
toothed, prominently veined beneath; flowers in a somewhat leafy panicle; 
corolla 2.4 cm. long or more, the upper lip erect, lower more or less 
spreading; anther cells dehiscing their whole length; sterile filament 
bearded.—S. Cal. 

2. P. breviflorus Lindl. Stems simple from a branched woody base, 
8 to 17 dm. high ; leaves lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate, denticulate, 1.8 
to 6.6 cm. long; corolla white with purplish markings, deeply 2-lipped, 
the upper lip erect, the lower widely spreading; anther cells dehiscing 
their whole length; sterile filament glabrous.—Dry hills. 

3. P. centranthifolius Benth. Scarlet Bugler. Stems simple, clus¬ 
tered, 3 to 8.5 dm. high; leaves ovate to oblong-lanceolate with somewhat 
heart-shaped clasping base, 3.6 to 6 cm. long; corolla tubular with nearly 
equal lobes, scarlet, 2.4 cm. long; sterile filament naked.—Rocky cliffs, 
sandy dunes or mesas. 

4. P. spectabilis Thurb. Stems slender, simple, 8.5 to 11.5 dm. high; 
leaves ovate to oblong; corolla 2-lipped, abruptly dilated above the nar¬ 
row tube ; sterile filament glabrous.—Dry hills and valleys, S. Cal. 

5. P. heterophyllus Lindl. Stems many, erect or ascending, 2.8 to 
4.3 dm. high; herbage minutely puberulent; leaves linear to lanceolate, 
3.6 cm. long or less; corolla 2-lipped, abruptly dilated above the narrowly 
tubular base, blue or purple, 2.4 to 3 cm. long: upper lip short, more or 
less reflexed, the lower longer, spreading.—Coast Range hills. 

4. DIPLACUS Nutt. 

Evergreen glutinous shrubs with the leaves revolute in the bud. 
Flowers salmon-color or red, solitary in the axils. Calyx tubular, 5- 
angled, 5-toothed. Corolla with funnelform tube, strongly 2-lipped. 
Stamens 4. Stigmas 2, closing together when irritated. Valves of cap¬ 
sule spreading out nearly flat. (Greek di, double, and plakous, a cake, 
referring to the placentae.) 






FIGWORT FAMILY 


145 


1. D. glutinosus Nutt. Bush Monkey-flower. Leaves oblong-lan¬ 
ceolate ; corolla salmon-color, 3.6 cm. long or more.—Canon sides. 

5. MIMULUS L. Monkey-flower 
Herbs with showy yellow or red flowers, solitary and axillary, or in 
terminal racemes. Corolla tubular to funnelform, 2-lipped or the lobes 
only silghtly irregular, a pair of bearded or naked ridges running down 
the lower side of the throat. Stamens 4. Stigmas as in Diplacus. Pod 
splitting open on one or both sides, or remaining closed. (Diminutive 
of the Latin mimus, a comic actor, on account of the gaping or grinning 
corolla.) 


Flowers red or scarlet. 

Dwarf annuals, as if stemless or nearly so, the leaves basal; corolla large 
for the size of plant. 

Plant 2.4 to 4.8 cm. high; stems apparently none. 

Upper lip of corolla exceeding the lower; throat funnelform. 

1. M. angustatus. 

Lower lip of corolla almost none ; throat campanulate or urn-shaped.. 

2. M. subuniflorus. 

Stem often with branches 7.2 to 9.6 cm. long.3. M. tricolor. 

Robust perennials with leafy stems. 

Pedicels very short.4. M. bolanderi. 

Pedicels 2.4 to 6.6 cm. long.5. M. cardinalis. 

Flowers yellow or white. 

Herbage glabrous or merely pubescent.6. M. guttatus. 

Herbage slimy or viscid-pubescent. 

Pubescence viscid ; leaves lanceolate or linear.7. M. brevipes. 

Pubescence with soft long hairs. 

Stems weak and reclining ; leaves short-petioled.8. M. moschatus. 

Stems erect; leaves sessile; lower lip of corolla with brown-purple 
spots.9. M. exilis. 


1. M. augustatus Gray. Leaves linear, 2.4 cm. long or less; corolla 
crimson, dotted with purple and yellow, its limb broad (the upper lip 
exceeding the lower), its tube very slender or thread-like, 2.4 to 3.6 cm. 
long.—Borders of surface streams. 

2. M. subuniflorus Greene. Leaves rhombic-ovate to oblong; corolla 
crimson, 3.6 cm. long, the tube slender, the throat narrowly bell-shaped; 
lower lip of corolla almost none, the upper lip conspicuous, erect.—Wet 
hillsides. 

3. M. tricolor Hartw. Leaves lanceolate to oblanceolate-oblong; 
corolla red, 3.6 to 4.8 cm. long; lips little unequal; throat broadly fun¬ 
nelform, with crimson and yellow markings.—Edges of vernal pools, 
plains and valleys. 

4. M. bolanderi Gray. Tobacco Mimulus. Simple or with many 
erect branches, 1 to 4 dm. high, very viscid; leaves lanceolate or oblong, 
sessile; upper teeth of calyx much the longest; corolla dark red, its 
lips nearly equal.—Coast Ranges, Sierra Nevada. 

5. M. cardinalis Dough Branched from the base, 2.8 to 8.6 dm. high; 
leaves elliptic-ovate, 4.8 cm. long or more, toothed; flowers solitary in 
the axils, much shorter than the pedicels; corolla strongly 2-lipped, scar¬ 
let, 3 to 4.8 cm. long, the tube little exserted from calyx.—Stream banks 
or about springs. 










146 


SCROPHULARIACEAE 


6. M. guttatus DC. Fig. 6. Stems erect, simple or branching, 1.4 to 

8.6 dm. high; leaves roundish or oblong, toothed, the lower petioled,. the 
upper sessile; flowers in a terminal 
raceme; upper tooth of calyx com¬ 
monly the longest; corolla yellow, 
with purple or brown dots in throat, 

2-lipped, 1.2 to 4.8 cm. long.—Ex¬ 
ceedingly common and variable. 

7. M. brevipes Benth. Stems 
2.8 to 5.5 dm. high, simple, viscid- 
pubescent; leaves lanceolate or lin¬ 
ear. entire or sharply denticulate; 
corolla yellow, with very short in¬ 
cluded tube, campanulate-ventri- 
cose throat and ample rounded 
lobes, the limb 3.6 cm. across.'— 

Hillsides, S .Cal. 

8. M. moschatus Dougl. var. ses- 
silifolius Gray. Stems rooting at 
the lower nodes, 2.8 to 5.7 dm. long ; 
whole plant wet as if with slimy 
dew, musk-scented; leaves ovate, 
sparingly toothed, about 4.8 cm. 
long, sessile or shortly petioled; 
flowers solitary in the upper axils, 
on pedicels 2.4 to 4.8 cm. long; 
corolla yellow, 2.4 cm. long, its 
lobes not very unequal.—Margins 
of rivulets and streams. 

9. M. exilis Dur. Stem 1.5 to 
3 dm. high, much-branched from 
the base, villous throughout with long and soft white and somewhat viscid 
hairs; leaves lanceolate to oblong, entire, sessile; flowers axillary; corolla 
yellow, its lobes equal, the lower one with two brown-purple spots.— 
Gravelly banks and beds of flood streams. 

6. VERONICA L. Speedwell 

Ours herbs with the flowers in axillary or terminal racemes or soli¬ 
tary. Calyx 4-parted. Corolla somewhat rotate, deeply 4-cleft, the upper 
lobe commonly broadest. Stamens 2, on the upper side, exserted. 
Stigma 1. Capsule flattened. (Name thought to be in memory of St. 
Veronica.) 

1. V. peregrina L. Neckweed. Erect annual, 1 to 2.8 dm. high; 
leaves oblong, 8 to 24 mm. long, the lowest opposite, the upper alternate 
and uppermost reduced; flowers white, solitary in the axils; pod inverse¬ 
ly heart-shaped.—Low valley fields. 

2. V. americana Schwein. Brooklime. Perennial with stems 2.8 to 

5.7 dm. long; leaves oblong-ovate, serrate, 3.6 to 7.2 cm. long, bearing 
peduncled racemes in their axils; flowers blue; pod roundish.—Springs 
and rivulets. 



Fig. 6. Mimulus guttatus DC.; a, fl. 
branchlet x 54 ; b, leaves x ; c, 
pistil x \ x / 2 ; d. capsule x 1; e, cross 
sect, of capsule x 4. 





FIGWORT FAMILY 


147 


7. CASTILLEIA Mutis. Painted Cup 
Root-parasitic herbs (or sometimes with woody stems), ours peren¬ 
nials. Leaves sessile, entire or more commonly toothed or cleft. Flowers 
in terminal spikes or racemes. Bracts and calyx red, scarlet or yellow 
in whole or in part, more showy than the dull yellow or greenish corolla. 
Calyx flattened, 2-cleft. Lower lip of corolla very short, 3-lobed or 
toothed, the upper very long, flattened and arched at tip and inclosing 
the 4 stamens and style. (D. Castillejo, Spanish botanist.) 

Calyx much more deeply cleft before than behind ; corolla sickle-shaped, the upper 

lip well exserted from lower side of calyx and exposing the lower lip. 

1. C. af finis. 

Calyx equally cleft before and behind : upper lip included or little exserted from 


the calyx,, the lower lip not exposed. 

Calyx-lobes mostly 2-cleft to middle.2. C. parviflora. 

Calyx-lobes entire or notched at apex. 

Herbage viscid-pubescent; leaves oval or obovate.3. C. latifolia. 

Herbage white-woolly; leaves linear.4. C. foliolosa. 


1. C. affinis H. & A. Scarlet Cup. Branches mostly simple and few 
from the base, 2.8 to 5.7 dm. high; leaves linear, entire, 9.6 cm. long or 
less; raceme loose below; bracts scarlet, 3-parted, the middle lobe 3-cleft; 
flowers 3 cm. long; calyx-lobes notched or 2-cleft at apex; corolla yel¬ 
lowish ; upper lip about as long as tube.—Borders of woods. 

2. C. parviflora Bong. var. douglasii Tepson. Indian Paint Brush. 
Herbage hairy; leaves linear (varying to lanceolate or oblong), entire 
or sparingly cleft, 3.6 to 8.4 cm. long; bracts red, yellow or white above 
the middle, 3-parted, the middle often 3-cleft; corolla straight, upper lip 
about as long as tube.—Wooded canons. 

3. C. latifolia H. & A. Seaside Painted Cup. Stems 1 to 4 dm. high : 
herbage sticky pubescent; leaves thick, oval or obovate, the upper 3-lobed 
at apex; bracts very short and broad, with 3 oblong lobes; calyx-lobes al¬ 
most equaling the small (1.8 cm. long) coralla.—Sea cliffs and headlands. 

4. C. foliolosa H. & A. Woolly Painted Cup. Stems clustered, 
woody at base, 2.4 to 4.3 dm. high; herbage white woolly; leaves linear, 
entire, crowded below and fascicled in the upper axils, about 2.4 cm. long 
or less; uppermost leaves and bracts 3-parted; spikes dense; flower 1.8 
cm. long; calyx-lobes truncate or merely notched.—Dry rocky or gravelly 
Coast Range slopes. 

8. ORTHOCARPUS Nutt. Owl’s Clover 

Ours annuals with the flowers in spikes, the bracts either colored or 
not colored. Calyx tubular, 4-cleft. Corolla tubular, the upper lip sim¬ 
ilar to that of Castilleia, but not so greatly or not at all exceeding the 
lower one; lower lip 3-saccate, inflated and often very conspicuous. 
(Greek orthos, upright, and karpos, fruit.) 

Seeds with a close coat; anthers 1-celled. 

Stamens in anthesis exserted from galea; flowers 4 to 6 mm. long. 

1. O. pusillus. 

Stamens in anthesis not exserted from galea; flowers mostly more than 1.2 


cm. long. 

Herbage greenish; galea whitish.2. O. faucibarbatus. 

Herbage purplish ; galea purple.3. O. erianthus. 


Seeds with a loose cellular coat; anthers 2-celled. 

Bracts herbaceous, cleft into linear or lanceolate lobes....4. O. lithospermoides. 









148 


SCROPHULARIACEAE 


Bracts with purplish or whitish tips. 

Filaments glabrous; galea nearly straight, pubescent. 

Spikes virgate, lax below.5. O. attenuatus. 

Spikes stout, dense. 

Leaves 2.4 to 6 cm. long; stems simple or little branched. 

6. O. densiflorus. 

Leaves 1.2 to 3.6 cm. long; leaves freely branched. 

7. O. castilleioides. 

Filaments hairy: galea hooked at apex.8. O. purpurascens. 

1. O. pusillus Benth. Slender, weak, 4.8 to 9.6 cm. high; herbage 
purplish; leaves pinnatelv cleft into linear or filiform divisions; bracts 
longer than the scattered inconspicuous dark red flowers; corolla 4 to 
6 mm. long.—Low hills. 

2. O. faucibarbatus Gray. Branched from the middle, 1.5 to 3 dm. 
high; herbage greenish: leaves oblong or strap-shaped at base, above 
pinnately cleft; spikes at length elongated and lax; bracts shorter than 
the flowers, palmately cleft; corolla yellow or white, 1.8 to 2.3 cm. long, 
its tube very slender, twice the length of the calyx; sacs of lower lip 4 
mm. deep, deeper than high.—Low fields. 

3. O. erianthus Benth. Johnny-tuck. Stems branched or un¬ 
branched, 1.2 to 1.9 dm. high; leaves pinnately divided into filiform di¬ 
visions ; spikes slender: corolla about 1 cm. long, sulphur-yellow except 
the dark purple upper lip, its thread-like tube at least twice the length of 
the calyx; sacs of the lower lip 4 mm. deep, deeper than high, each sac 
commonly with 2 greenish yellow spots at base of the tooth; folds in the 
throat densely bearded.—Abundant on the plains and low hills or in val¬ 
leys. Var. versicolor Jepson. Corolla white, excepting the purple upper 
lip. Var. roseus Gray. Corolla rose-color.—The varieties near the coast. 

4. O. lithospermoides Benth. Cream Sacs. Commonly simple, 1.4 to 

2.8 dm. high; lower leaves lanceolate, entire, the upper oblong with a 
few slender lobes; spike very dense and thick; bracts nearly equaling the 
flowers, mostly broad at base, palmately cleft above; corolla 2.4 cm. long 
or more, rich cream-color, its tube dilated upward; lower lip strongly 
3-saccate.—Plains and low hills. 

5. O. attenuatus Gray. Commonly slender and strict, 1.2 to 2.8 dm. 
high; leaves linear-lanceolate, attenuate, entire or the upper with 1 or 2 
filiform lobes, 2.4 to 7.2 cm. long, 2 to 10 mm. wide; spikes slender; calyx- 
lobes 4, thread-like, nearly equal; corolla dull white; low r er lip shallowly 
saccate, purple-dotted, its lanceolate teeth large for the size of the co¬ 
rolla, almost as long as the saccate portion and nearly or quite equaling 
the upper lip.—Open fields and low hills. 

6. O. densiflorus Benth. Escobita. Simple or with strict branches, 
1.2 to 3.6 dm. high; leaves oblong-lanceolate to linear with mainly a pair 
of filiform divisions; spike dense, cylindric, 2.4 to 9.6 cm. long; bracts 
with purple and white tips; calyx-segments spatulate, purple; corolla 

1.8 to 2.2 cm. long, purple and white, the lower lip with large crimson 
dots, its teeth nearly as long as upper lip.—Valleys and low hills. 

7. O. castilleioides Benth. Johnny-nip. Corymbosely branched, 1.4 
to 2.4 dm. high; leaves broader than in preceding, entire or with linear 
divisions; spikes short and dense or even almost head-like; bracts with 







OROBAN CHACEAB 


149 


white or yellowish tips; calyx-segments linear; corolla 1.2 to 1.8 cm. 
long, dull white with purple marks, the upper lip plainly longer than the 
crimson teeth of the lower lip.—Marshy ground. 

8. O. purpurascens Benth. Owl's Clover. Simple or sometimes 
much branched, 9.4 to 36 cm. high; leaves parted into many filiform 
divisons which are often brownish-tinged; bracts palmately cleft into 
filiform or narrowly linear lobes, the upper with crimson spatulate tips; 
corolla crimson, 2.4 to 3 cm. long; lower lip white-tipped with yellow and 
purple markings.—Low hills and valleys. 

9. PEDICULARIS L. Lousewort 

Perennial herbs. Flowers in a spike. Calyx 2 to 5-cleft. Corolla 
tubular, strongly 2-lipped. Upper lip flattened and strongly arched at 
apex; lower lip very much shorter than the upper, of 3 small rounded 
lobes. Stamens 4, under the upper lip. Capsule flattened. (Latin pedi- 
culus, a louse; of uncertain application.) 

1. P. densiflora Benth. Indian Warrior. Stems simple and erect, 2 
to 2.8 dm. high, commonly several from the scaly caudex; leaves pin- 
natelv parted or divided, the segments cleft or toothed; bracts linear, 
ciliate or serrate at apex; calyx 5-angled, equally or unequally 5-toothed, 
less than 8 to 10 mm. long; corolla crimson, 2.4 cm. long or more.—Hills 
and mountains. 

OROBANCHACEAE. BROOM-RAPE FAMILY 

Root-parasitic herbs, yellowish or brownish, without green color. 
Leaves reduced to scales. Corolla tubular, 2-lipped, the upper lip 2-lobed, 
the lower 3-lobed. Stamens 4. didynamous. Ovary superior, 1-celled; 
style one, long. Fruit a capsule.—Species about 90, all continents. 

1. OROBANCHE I., Broom-rape 

Calyx 5-cleft. Placentae 4, 2 on each valve of the capsule. (Greek 
orobos. vetch, and anchone, choker.) 

1. O. fasciculate Nutt. Scaly stem 2.4 to 4.8 cm. high, bearing many 
fascicled 1-flowered peduncles; corolla yellow, 2.4 to 3.6 cm. long.— 
Mountain slopes or ridges, parasitic on perennial herbs or small shrubs. 

PLANTAGINACEAE. PLANTAIN FAMILY 

Herbs with a basal cluster of ribbed leaves and naked stems bearing a 
terminal spike or head of regular flowers. Sepals 4 (or 2). Corolla 
4-parted. Stamens 4, protruding. Ovary superior, 2 (or falsely 4)- 
celled. Style 1, slender with long hairy stigma. Fruit a capsule, open¬ 
ing by a lid.—About 200 species, distributed over the w r hole earth. 

1. PLANTAGO L. Plantain 

Corolla small, salver-shaped or rotate, wdthering-persistent. (Latin 
name of the plantain.) 

Perennials; stamens 4 ; leaves ovate or oblanceolate; naturalized species. 


Ovules 2; bracts attenuate into a long point.1. P. lanceolata. 

Ovules 8 to 18 ; bracts ovate, not long-pointed......2. P. major. 

Annuals : leaves linear or oblanceolate ; native species. 

Stamens 4 ; capsule 2-seeded..3. P. erecta. 

Stamens 2; capsule commonly 4-seeded.4. P. bigelovii. 






150 


RUBIACEAE 


1. P. lanceolata L. English Plantain. Ribwort. Leaves lanceo¬ 
late and strongly 3 to 5-ribbed, mostly hairy: stem longer than the 
leaves, 1.5 to 4 dm. high; soike short-cylindrical, 1.8 to 4.8 cm. long; 
sepals scarious.—Nat. from Eur. 

2. P. major L. Common Plantain. Leaves round-ovate, glabrous, 
marked with 5 to 7 prominent ribs, often toothed; stem proper not as 
long as the leaves, bearing an elongated spike 7.2 to 14.4 cm. long; sepals 
scarious with green center.—Low fields and waste places, nat. from Eur. 
It has followed quickly upon the white settler in his settlements everv- 
where westward across the continent and the Red Indian therefore calls 
it White Man's Foot. 

3. P. erecta Morris. Silky pubescent, 9.6 to 12 cm. high; leaves 
narrowly linear to oblanceolate, commonly shorter than the stems; spikes 
dense, oblong or even head-like; sepals scarious, with a broadly linear 
central portion; stamens 4; capsule 2-seeded.—Low hills and valleys. 

4. P. bigelovii Gray. Stems 7 to 12 cm. high; herbage very slightly 
hairy; leaves linear or thread-like, commonly shorter than the stems 
which bear narrowly linear spikes; stamens 2; capsule 4-seeded, the 
seeds winged at one end.—Alkaline fields. 

RUBIACEAE. MADDER FAMILY 

Shrubs or herbs with opposite or whorled leaves. Flowers perfect 
or polygamous, rarely unisexual. Corolla commonly 4-lobed. Stamens 
4. Calyx adnate to the ovary.—This is a very large natural family con¬ 
sisting of 4500 species distributed in all parts of the earth. It is im¬ 
portant economically as including Coffee (Coffea arabica L.) Quinine 
(Cinchona officinalis L., C. ledgeriana Moens, and other species), Ipecac 
(Uragoga ipecacuanha Baill.) and other plants. 

Herbs (or only slightly woody) ; flowers in cymes or solitary; corolla rotate. 

1. Galium. 

Shrubs; flowers in globose heads; corolla funnelform.2. Cephalanthus. 

1. GALIUM L. Bedstraw. Cleavers 

Mostly herbs with slender square stems. Flowers cymose. Ovary 2- 
lobed, 2-celled, 2-ovuled; styles 2. (Greek gala, milk, certain species 
being used to curdle milk.) 

Leaves 6 to 8 in a whorl; coarse plants, mostly simple, erect, or reclining and 
diffuse. 

Annual, with a taproot; fruit densely hispid with short hooked bristles. 

1. G. aparine. 

Perennial, from slender creeping rootstocks; fruit densely white-hispid with 

long hairs...2. G. triflorum. 

Leaves 4 in a whorl; perennial with woody rootstocks. 

Plants forming low dense tufts, 4.8 to 12 cm. high ; flowers solitary or in 

3s; leaves narrowly linear-subulate, acerose, glabrous. 

3. G. andrewsii. 

Plants with the stems more open, always taller ; flowers, at least the fertile, 
solitary; leaves mostly ovate to oblong. 

Stems slender at the base, 7 to 19 cm. long; herbage hispid-ciliate. 

4. G. californicum. 

Stems often coarsely woody at base, 5 to 14 dm. long, climbing; herbage 
glabrous to decidedly scabrous.5. G. nuttallii. 









CAPRIFOLIACEAE 


151 


1. G. aparine L. Goose-Grass. Diffuse or climbing over herbaceous 
plants, or erect and low; herbage hispidulous, roughened; leaves 1.2 to 3 
cm. long; fruit 2 to 3 mm. in diameter.—Common in shady or grassy 
places among the hills; widely distributed. 

2. G. triflorum Michx. Sweet-scented Bedstraw. Slender, erect or 
reclining, 2 to 4 dm. high, with leafy stems; leaves in whorls of 6; flowers 
2 or 3 in a cyme; fruit less than 2 mm. in diameter.—Woody thickets, 
North Coast Ranges. 

3. G. andrewsii Gray. Plants commonly densely matted; flowering 
stems erect, the prostrate stems rooting at the joints; herbage grayish; 
leaves 4 to 9 mm. long; flowers perfect; fruit glabrous, berry-like.— 
High dry ridges of the inner ranges. 

4. G. califomicum H. & A. Plants 7 to 19 cm. high, erect or diffuse; 
leaves ovate, 4 to 10 mm. long; flowers dioeciously polygamous, the per¬ 
fect axillary, the sterile ones terminal; fruit glabrous or nearly so.— 
Common on open hills of the Coast Ranges. 

5. G. nuttallii Gray. Branches often tinged red or purple, very leafy; 
leaves oval to linear-oblong, thickish. 2 to 8 mm. long; flowers perfect; 
fruit glabrous.—Common in thickets, Coast Ranges. 

2. CEPHALANTHUS L. 

Shrub. Leaves opposite or in 3s, with stipules. Flowers white, in 
dense globose heads. Calyx inversely pyramidal, its limb 4-toothed. 
Corolla slender-funnelform, its limb 4-cleft. Style filiform, exserted. 
Fruit obpyramidal, at length splitting into 2 to 4 one-seeded portions. 
(Greek kephale, head, and anthos, flower.) 

1. C. occidentalis L. Button-willow. Two to 8 m. high; leaves 
oblong-ovate, 6.6 to 7.8 cm. long; heads 1.8 to 2.4 cm. broad, long- 
peduncled.—Banks of interior streams. 

CAPRIFOLIACEAE. HONEYSUCKLE FAMILY 

Erect or twining shrubs with opposite leaves. Calyx-tube adnate to 
ovary, the toothed limb commonly insignificant. Corolla regular or ir¬ 
regular, 5 (or 4)-lobed. Stamens as many as the lobes of the corolla, 
inserted on its tube or base. Ovary 2 to 5-celled. Style 1. Fruit a 
berry or berry-like.—Species about 320, mostly north temperate zone. 


Leaves pinnately compound; corolla rotate, regular . 1 . Sambucus. 

Leaves simple. 

Corolla regular ; berry white. 2. Symphoricarpos. 

Corolla tubular, 2-lipped or regular; berry red or black. 3. Lonicera. 


1. SAMBUCUS L. Elder 

Shrubs or small trees with pinnate leaves and serrate leaflets. Flowers 
small, white, in a terminal compound cyme. Corolla regular, rotate, deep¬ 
ly 5-lobed. Ovary 3 to 5-celled. Style short. Stigmas 3 to 5. (Greek 
sambuke, a musical instrument, said to have been made of elder wood.) 


Cyme flat-topped; berries blue.1. 3 1 . glauca. 

Cyme dome-shaped or ovate; berries red.....2. S. racemosa. 


1. S. glauca Nutt. Blue Elderberry. Bushy or tree-like, 1 to 4 m. 
high; leaflets 5 to 7, lanceolate to ovate or obovate; flowers in a flat- 







152 


CAPRIFOLIACEAE 


topped cyme; berry blue with a bloom.—Stream banks in the valleys or 
in open woods in the hills. The berries are used in rural cookery. 

2. S. racemosa L. Red Elderberry. Thick spreading bush 3 to 9 
dm. high; leaflets mostly obovate or oblong, glabrous or nearly so, entire 
at apex; berries scarlet.—Mountains. Var. callicarpa Jepson. Low 
shrub or small tree, 2.4 to 6 m. high: leaflets sharply serrate to apex.— 
Seacoast, San Mateo Co. n. 

2. SYMPHORICARPOS L. Wax-berry 

Low branching bushes with small short-petioled simple leaves and. white 
or pinkish flowers in short close clusters. Calyx with a globular tube and 
4- or 5-toothed limb. Corolla regular, bell-shaped or tubular, 4- or 5- 
lobed. Stamens included. Ovary 4-celled. Fruit a white berry. (Greek 
sumphoreo, to bear together, and karpos, fruit, the berries in close 
clusters.) 

1. S. racemosus Michx. Snow Berry. About 9 to 15 dm. high; leaves 
roundish to oblong, entire or lobed; corolla pinkish, 4 mm. long, densely 
hairy within ; berry 8 to 14 mm. in diameter, white with snowy pulp; seeds 
2.—Common in the hill country. 

3. LONICERA L. Honeysuckle 

Erect or twining shrubs. Leaves simple, entire. Calyx-tube ovoid or 
globose, the border 5-toothed or truncate. Corolla strongly 2-lipped or 
nearly regular, its tube elongated and more or less swollen or gibbous at 
base. Qvary 2 or 3-celled. (Adam Lonitzer, a German herbalist of the 
16th century.) 

Erect deciduous shrubs ; flowers in axillary pairs ; corolla nearly regular ; berries 

black.1. L. involucrata. 

Trailing or twining evergreen shrubs; flowers sessile, in whorls; flowers in ter¬ 
minal spikes; corolla 2-lipped, the upper lip 4-lobed or toothed, the lower 
narrow, entire ; berries red or sometimes yellow. 

Leaves next the inflorescence united into a connate-perfoliate disk. 

Corolla pink, hispidulous-glandular without; leaves with stipule-like 

appendages.2. L. hispidula. 

Corolla yellow, glabrous without; leaves without stipule-like appendages.. 

3. L. interrupta. 

Leaves all distinct; corolla yellow..4. L. subspicata. 

1. L. involucrata (Richards) Banks. Black Twin-berry. About 1 
to 2 m. high; leaves oblong-ovate or -lanceolate; peduncles axillary, bear¬ 
ing at summit 2 flowers (side by side) which are subtended by conspicu¬ 
ous bracts; corolla yellow or crimson-tinged, 1.8 cm. long.—Along canon 
streams. 

2. L. hispidula Dough var. californica (Greene) Jepson. California 
Honeysuckle. Climbing on bushes or trees by twining of the stem; leaves 
broadly oblong or ovate, most of the opposite pairs joined at base by 
stipule-like appendages, the uppermost beneath the inflorescence com¬ 
pletely united by their bases; flowers in whorls, the whorls in terminal 
spikes; corolla pink, 12 to 16 mm. long.—Along streams in canons and 
valleys. 

3. L. interrupta Benth. Chaparral Honeysuckle. Stems twining or 
reclining; corolla 8 to 10 mm. long.—High chaparral-covered ridges. 

4. L. subspicata H. & A. Moronel. Stems climbing or reclining, 1 





LOBELIACEAE 


153 


to 3.7 m. long, or sometimes an erect thicket}' - shrub 1.2 to 1.8 m. high; 
uppermost as well as lower leaves distinct, often very narrow; spikes 
borne in a panicle.—Mesas and valleys, S. Cal. 

DIPSACEAE. TEASEL FAMILY 

Herbs with opposite leaves. Flowers in dense heads or short spikes. 
Calyx-tube adnate to the ovary. Corolla 4 or 5-lobed, borne on the calyx. 
Stamens 4 (or 2 by abortion). Ovary 1-celled; style filiform. Fruit an 
achene, crowned with the persistent calyx.—Species about 150, especially 
in the Mediterranean region and the Orient. 

1. DIPSACUS L. 

Biennial. Cauline leaves united at base. Flowers pinkish-white, the 
short spike surrounded by an involucre of elongated bracts much sur¬ 
passing the pointed bracts subtending the flowers. Bracts in fruit very 
rigid and spine-like. Calyx-limb cup-shaped, 4-toothed. Corolla 4-lobed. 
Achene surrounded by a 4 to 8-ribbed involucel. (Greek name of the 
Teasel.) 

1. D. fullonun L. Fuller’s Teasel. Stems erect, stout, coarse, prickly, 
8 to 14 dm. high.—Abundant in low waste lands; nat. from Eur. 

LOBELIACEAE. LOBELIA FAMILY 

Herbs with alternate entire leaves and complete flowers in racemes. 
Calyx-tube adnate to the ovary, the free portion divided into 5 distinct 
lobes. Corolla 2-lipped with 2 lobes in upper lip and 3 in lower. Stamens 
5; anthers and filaments united into a tube about the single style. Ovary 
2-celled, beconr'ng a 1 or 2-celled capsule with many seeds.—About 500 
species, especially in the tropics. 

1. DOWNINGIA Torr. 

Dwarf herbs. Calyx-tube long and stalk-like. Corolla-tube short, its 
limb ample. (A. J. Downing, an American horticulturist.) 

Lower lip of the corolla concave ; stamen-column long-exserted, the anther-tube 

much incurved.1. D. elegans. 

Lower lip of the corolla plane, forming a platform ; stamen-column little or not at 
all exserted ; anther-tube straight or only slightly curved. 

Sinuses of corolla not cut below platform.2. D. pulchella. 

Sinuses of corolla cut below platform. 

Lobes of upper lip of corolla coiled into a ring; calyx-lobes ascending. 

3. D. ornatissima. 

Lobes of upper lip of corolla not coiled; calyx-lobes rotate..4. D. concolor. 

1. D. elegans (Lindl.) Torr. Stem 9.6 to 29 cm. high; leaves 1.2 to 
1.8 cm. long; corolla light blue, veiny, its tube short-campanulate: lower 
lip 3-lobed at apex.—Margins of vernal pools. 

2. D. pulchella Torr. Erect or ascending, 5 to 24 cm. high; leaves 1.2 
cm. long; corolla deep bright blue, its tube 2 mm. long; lower lip 1.2 cm. 
broad, bearing 2 obovate yellow spots.—Low plains and salt marshes. 

3. D. ornatissima Greene. Simple or branched from the base, 5 to 15 
cm. high; leaves linear; corolla very light blue, lower lip bearing 2 yel¬ 
low spots; stamen-column slightly exserted.—Low spots in the plains. 





154 


COMPOSITAE 


4. D. concolor Greene. Nearly simple or branched from the base, 2.4 
to 9.6 cm. high; flowers 8 to 9 mm. broad; corolla blue, the lower lip 


with a velvety quadrate spot; 
stamen-column included. — Abund¬ 
ant locally in low places. 

COMPOSITAE 

SUNFLOWER FAMILY 

Herbs or shrubs. Flowers col¬ 
lected in a head surrounded by 1 to 
several rows of bracts (involucre), 
the marginal flowers (rays) fre¬ 
quently with strap-shaped and very 
conspicous corollas, the inner 
flowers (forming the disk) with 
tubular 5-toothed corollas, or some¬ 
times all the flowers with strap- 
cOrollas. Calyx in the form of 
hairs, bristles, scales or teeth. Sta¬ 
mens 5. united by their anthers. 
Style 2-cleft at apex. Ovary in¬ 
ferior, 1-celled, becoming a dry 
achene.—This family, with about 
12,000 species distributed all over 
the earth but most numerous in 
temperate climes, is the second 
largest family of flowering plants, 
being exceeded only by Orchi- 
daceae. It vastly exceeds Orchi- 
daceae, however, in number of in¬ 
dividuals. The family contains 
plants which yield fats, oils, tan¬ 
nins and medicinal drugs, but is 
not very important economically. 
It furnishes a large number of 
agricultural pests which are espec¬ 
ially hard to combat on account c 
sess for effective seed dispersal. 




Fig. 7. A typical flower head of Com- 
positae. To the beginner a flower 
head in this family looks like a single 
flower, but on examination it is seen 
to consist of a large number of 
flowers closely packed -together as 
shown in the above illustration of 
California Sunflower, Helianthus cali- 
fornicus DC.; a, long. sect, of head 
x Y\ ; b, ray-flower x 1; c, disk- 
flower x 2^4 ; d, bract x 2V* ; e, 
achene and pappus (calyx) x 2 l /i. 

the means which Compositae pos- 


A. Plants without milky juice; disk-flowers without ligulate corollas. 

I. Style branches naked or prolonged into a flattened hairy or 


PUBESCENT APPENDAGE. 

Rays mostly present; pappus of awns or bristles ; .anthers blunt at the base ; style- 
branches appendaged ; herbage sometimes gummy or resinous; leaves 
alternate; receptacle naked; bracts of the involucre well imbricated; 
disk-flowers yellow.— Asterae (Aster Tribe). 

Rays present (sometimes inconspicuous) ; flowers yellow, white, lavender or 
purple : mostly herbs. 

Flowers of both disk and ray yellow. 













SUNFLOWER FAMILY 


155 


Pappus of several caducous awns or bristles; heads large and 
gummy; leaves not narrow, mostly serrate ; perennial herbs. .. 

1. Grindelia. 

Pappus of persistent bristles. 

Ray-achenes without pappus or the pappus a reduced crown. 

2. Heterotheca. 

Ray-achenes (when present) with pappus like that of disk. 


Herbs ; rays present; pappus dull white.3. Solidago. 

Evergreen shrubs; rays present or absent: pappus in age 
reddish. 4. Ericameria. 


Flowers of the disk yellow (sometimes changing to purple); rays never 
yellow. 

Bracts of the involucre mostly in 2 or more series, usually with her¬ 
baceous tips; rays usually numerous; perennial or annual 

herbs....5. Aster. 

Bracts of the involucre in 1 or 2 series, without distinctly herbaceous 
tips ; rays very numerous and narrow ; perennial or biennial 

herbs.....6. Erigerox. 

Rays none; flowers whitish or yellowish, dioecious; mostly shrubs. 

7. Baccharis. 

Rays none ; pappus of capillary bristles ; anthers caudate at base ; style-branches 
naked ; herbage mostly white-woolly ; leaves alternate, entire ; heads small: 
bracts of the involucre scarious; pistillate flowers mostly with filiform 
corollas.— Inuleae (Everlasting Tribe). 

Flowers dioecious; involucral bracts white.8. Anaphalis. 

Flowers all fertile, perfect and pistillate in the same head ; involucral bracts 
white, pink or purplish.9. Gnaphalium. 

II. Style-branches truncate or hairy-appendaged or with a ring 

OF BRISTLES BELOW. 

1. Receptacle with chaffy bracts or naked; anthers mostly rounded at the base. 
Pappus not hair-like. 

Involucral bracts not scarious. 

Receptacle with chaffy bracts. 

Rays present; disk-flowers perfect. 

Involucre of 1 to several series of bracts, none enfolding ray- 
achenes ; involucral bracts herbaceous or foliaceous ; re¬ 
ceptacle very chaffy; leaves mostly opposite or basal; 
pappus paleacous, of rigid awns, or cup-like; style- 
branches truncate or hairy-appendaged; anthers not 
caudate.—H eliantheae (Sunflower Tribe). 

Bracts of the involucre in several series; leaves broad: 
achenes thick, not wing-margined. 

. Ray-flowers maturing achenes; low perennials with 

broad basal leaves..10. Wyethia. 

Ray L flowers not maturing achenes; tall annuals or 

perennials with alternate leaves. 

11. Helianthus, 

Bracts of the involucre in a dissimilar series ; leaves chiefly 
basal or alternate, dissected into narrowly linear or 
filiform lobes; achenes flattened, more or less wing- 

margined...12. Coreopsis. 

Involucre of 1 series of equal bracts each enfolding a ray achene ; 

bracts of receptacle often in 1 series between ray and 
disk; leaves alternate or opposite; herbage glandular, 
viscid; ray-achenes without pappus, that of disk-achenes 
paleaceous, awn-like or none ; styles and anthers as in 
Heliantheae.— Madieae (Tarweed. Tribe). 

Ray-achenes laterally compressed, completely enfolded by the 
deeply sulcate bracts of the involucre, which are 

strongly carinate on the back.13. Madia. 

Ray-achenes turgid, obcornpressed or clavate. 














156 


C0MP0S1TAE 


Ray-acbenes half enclosed by the bracts of the involucre 
which are rounded on the back, the bracts at 

length deciduous.14. Hemizonia,. 

Ray-achenes completely enfolded by the bracts of the 
involucre, which at base have thin margins and 
flattish backs. 

Achenes in fruit not expanding; pappus present or 
none ; flowers yellow, white, or yellow and 

white.15. Layia. 

Achenes in fruit expanding into a globose head; 

pappus silvery-scarious; flowers golden- 
yellow.16. Achyrachaena. 

Rays none; heads unisexual, small, greenish or white; pappus none; 

leaves alternate or the lowest opposite; fruit commonly a 
bur ; anthers distinct; styles as in Heliantheae; coarse weeds. 
Ambrosieae (Ragweed Tribe). 

Heads containing both staminate and pistillate flowers, the latter 
at the margin; involucre of 4 or 5 rounded united 

.bracts.17. Iva. 

Heads unisexual, both pistillate and staminate on the same plant; 

involucre of pistillate heads closed and bur-like, only the 
style-branches exserted; staminate heads in a raceme or 
spike, their involucres open. 

Involucral bracts of the staminate heads united; pistillate 
involucre beaked at apex and armed near the beak 
with a single row of short prickles. .. 18. Ambrosia. 
Involucral bracts of the staminate heads distinct; pistillate 
involucre maturing into a stout bur.. 19. Xanthium. 
Receptacle naked; bracts of involucre in 1, 2 or more series, little im¬ 
bricated ; flowers yellow; rays present; pappus of paleae, awns, 
bristles, or none.— Helenieae (Sneezeweed Tribe). 

Leaves opposite ; herbage glabrous or pubescent, never white-woolly. 
Bracts of the involucre distinct; pappus of paleae or bristles or 

both or none.20. Baeria. 

Bracts of the involucre united into a toothed cup. 

21. Lasthenia. 

Leaves alternate; herbage glabrous or white-woolly. 

Ray-corollas with a toothed appendage at base opposite the ligule ; 

pappus none ; leaves entire or denticulate ; annuals. 

22. Monolopia. 

Ray-corollas without appendage at base; pappus present; 
perennials. 

Bracts of the involucre erect; leaves divided or incised. 

23. Eriophyllum. 
Bracts of the .involucre reflexed; leaves not divided, often 

decurrent...24. Helenium. 

Involucral bracts scarious ; pappus none or reduced to a mere crown or ring ; 

flower white, yellow or greenish ; rays present or absent; leaves 
alternate, usually much divided ; strong-scented or aromatic plants.— 
Anthemideae (Mayweed Tribe). 

Receptacle with chaff-like bracts. 

Heads solitary, terminating leafy branches or peduncles; rays 14 to 

20; annual.25. Anthemis. 

Heads in a terminal corymb; rays 4 or 5 ; perennial....26. Achillea. 
Receptacle naked. 

Marginal flowers without a corolla ; heads discoid.27. Cotula. 

All of the flowers with a corolla; heads in panicled racemes or 

spikes, small.28. Artemisia. 

Pappus hair-like; bracts of the involucre little or not at all imbricated, in 1 or 
2 rows; receptacle naked; flowers yellow; leaves alternate or basal; 
pappus bristles soft, copious, mostly white; anthers not caudate.— 
Senecioneae (Groundsel Tribe). 














SUNFLOWER FAMILY 


157 


Leaves chiefly opposite; heads large; pappus of rather rigid and strongly 

roughened bristles.29. Arnica. 

Leaves alternate ; heads large or small; pappus of abundant soft hairs. 

30. Senecio. 

2. Receptacle covered with bristles; anthers mostly caudate at the base; plants 
thistle-like, zvith alternate prickly leaves; heads large; involucral bracts im¬ 
bricated, usually prolonged into a spine or bristle, or with membranous edges; 
flowers conspicuous; rays none; corolla tubular, deeply cleft; style-branches 
unappendaged, smooth or with a pubescent ring belozv. —Cynareae (Thistle 
Tribe). 

* 

Achenes inserted on the receptacle by their very base. 

Filaments distinct; pappus of plumose bristles, united at base and deciduous, 
in a ring. 

Bristles of the pappus in a single series; achenes not angled. 

31. Cirsium. 

Bristles of the pappus in several series; achenes somewhat 4 angled. 

32. Cynara. 

Filaments united below ; pappus of narrow barbellate paleae.33. Silybum. 

Achenes obliquely or somewhat laterally inserted on the receptacle ; pappus-bristles 
or scales in 2 or 3 rows or none.34. Centaurea. 

B. Plants with milky juice; both disk and ray-flowers with ligulate 
corollas.—C ichorieae (Chicory Tribe). 

Pappus of bristles, the bristles (or some of them) plumose. 

Receptacle with chaff-like bracts ; at least the inner achenes beaked; flowers 

yellow ; stems naked ; leaves basal.35. Hypochaeris. 

Receptacle naked. 

Bracts of involucre in 2 unlike series. 

At least the inner achenes with a slender beak, all the achenes 
ribbed; flowers yellow ; low branching thistle-like biennial.... 

36. Picris. 

Achenes not beaked nor ribbed ; flowers pink; tall annuals, panicu- 

lately branching above.37. Stephanomeria. 

Bracts of the involucre in 1 series, united at the base; at least the inner 
achenes with a slender beak, all the achenes ribbed; flowers 

purple ; perennial or biennial with grass-like leaves. 

38. Tragopogon. 

Pappus of fine soft capillary bristles, scabrous but never plumose. 

Achenes not beaked ; receptacle naked or bristly. 

Achenes not flattened; stems commonly branching or the plants with 

the leaves all basal..39. Malacothrix. 

Achenes flattened; leafy-stemmed plants.40. Sonchus. 

Achenes beaked; receptacle naked. 

Achenes flattened; leafy-stemmed plants; heads in a panicle. 

41. Lactuca. 

Achenes not flattened ; leaves all basal; heads solitary.42. Agoseris. 

1. GRINDELIA Willd. Gum Plant 

Coarse perennial herbs, sometimes woody at base. Heads usually gum¬ 
my. Involucre campanulate or hemispherical, the bracts many-ranked, 
often with attenuate squarrose points. Pappus of 2 to 8 deciduous awns 
or scales. Involucral cups of budding heads filled with the gummy exuda¬ 


tion. (H. Grindel, Russian botanist.) 

Involucre hemispherical, with conspicuous foliaceous bracts.1. G. robusta. 

Involucre urnshaped-campanulate, without foliaceous bracts.2. G. camporum. 


1. G. robusta Nutt. var. maritima Jepson. Gum Plant. Stems erect, 
2.8 to 5.7 dm. high; leaves oblong to ovate or lanceolate, serrate or the 
upper entire; heads few in a terminal cyme; bracts foliaceous; mature 


















158 


COMPOSITAE 


achenes with a 1 to 5-dentate often oblique border at summit.—Along 
the seaboard, Los Angeles to San Francisco. 

2. G. camporum Greene. White-stem Grindelia. Stems usually 
several from base, simple or branching above, 2 to 7 dm. high; leaves 
oblong to oblanceolate, clasping, serrate; heads solitary or loosely corym¬ 
bose; achenes with 2 pappus-bristles.—Inner foothills and interior plains. 

2. HETEROTHECA Cass. 

Tall hairy perennial herbs with alternate leaves and heads of yellow 
flowers in a terminal corymbose panicle. Involucre broadly oblong, its 
narrow bracts imbricated. Ray and disk-flowers numerous. Ray-achenes 
triangular; pappus none. Disk-achenes compressed, pappus double. 
(Greek heteros, different, and theke, a case or ovary, the achenes of disk 
and ray dissimilar.) 

1. H. grandiflora Nutt. Telegraph Weed. Stems mostly simple be¬ 
low, 5.7 to 14 dm. high; leaves ovate to oblong, the lower petioled, the 
upper sessile; heads rather large; pappus brick-red in age; outer pappus 
of disk-flowers inconspicuous.—S. Cal., n. to the Great Valley. 

3. SOLIDAGO L. Golden Rod 

Perennial herbs with alternate leaves. Heads small, the clusters in 
a pyramidal or spike-like panicle, or corymbose. Bracts of the involucre 
narrow, thin, imbricated in 2 or more series. Flowers yellow. Pappus of 
capillary bristles. Achenes terete or angular. (Latin, solidus, and ago, 
to unite firmly, certain species reputed to have wound-healing proper¬ 


ties.) 

Stems branching; flower clusters corymbose . 1 . S', occidentals. 

Stems simple; flowers in a terminal panicle.2. S. californica. 


1. S. occidentalis Nutt. Western Golden Rod. Stems 8 to 14 dm. 
high, very leafy, paniculatelv branching, the branches terminated by 
corymbose clusters of small heads; herbage glabrous; leaves linear or 
nearly so, sprinkled with clear dots.—Marshes, stream beds and river 
banks. 

2. S. calif ornica Nutt. Common Golden Rod. Stem simple be¬ 
low the terminal panicle, 5.to 11 dm. high; herbage minutely pubescent; 
leaves oblong, the lower serrate; panicle dense, not leafy, 9.6 to 31 cm. 
long.—Dry plains or hillsides or in the mountains. 

4. ERICAMERIA Nutt. 

Ours low evergreen shrubs with linear or terete often heath-like leaves. 
Foliage punctate, resin-bearing. Flowers yellow, the heads in terminal 
clusters. Rays present or none. Involucre turbinate, its bracts imbri¬ 
cated. Pappus-bristles slender, dull white or yellowish, in age reddish. 
(The minute evergreen leaves of some species resemble those of 
Erica.) 

1. E. ericoides (Less.) Jepson. Dune-heath. Low heather-like 
shrub 3 to 5 dm. high, with decumbent main stems and many erect 
branchlets; leaves linear-terete, crowded or fascicled, heads corymbose- 
paniculate; corolla with dilated throat.—Sand dunes along the coast. 

2. E. arborescens (Gray) Greene. Golden Fleece. Erect shrub 
with fastigiate branches, 8 to 14 dm. high; leaves numerous, narrowly 




SUNFLOWER FAMILY 


159 


linear, becoming - filiform, 3,6 to 4.8 cm. long ; rays none or rarely present. 
—Higher Coast Range hills; Sierra Nevada. 

5. ASTER L. Aster 

Herbs. Heads usually numerous, paniculate, corymbose or racemose, 
sometimes solitary. Involucre campanulate to hemispherical. Bracts in 
several ranks, often imbricated, foliaceous or merely green-tipped. Disk- 
flowery yellow, sometimes changing to purple or brown. Receptacle flat. 
Pappus of simple capillary bristles. (Greek astere, a star, from the star- 
like head of flowers.) 

1. A. chilensis Nees. Common Aster. Stems 5 to 10 dm. high, vil¬ 
lous-pubescent or more or less glabrous; leaves lanceolate, sessile, entire, 
the basal oblong-spatulate, remotely serrate and petioled, all with sca- 
brous-ciliolate margins; involucral bracts green-tipped; rays white, lav¬ 
ender or bluish.—Coastal region. 

6. ERIGERON L. Fleabane 

Herbs with generally sessile leaves and solitary, paniculate or corym¬ 
bose heads. Disk-flowers yellow, ray-flowers usually numerous, white, 
purple or yellow, the ligules filiform. Involucral bracts narrow, little 
imbricated. Receptacle flat or convex. Pappus of simple capillary 
bristles. (Greek eri, early, and geron, an old man, “old man in spring.”) 

1. E. canadense L. Horseweed, Stems paniculately branching, 5.7 
to 14 dm. high; leaves linear to lanceolate; heads very numerous in a 
many-branched panicle; involucral bracts scarious-margined; rays in¬ 
conspicuous, white.—Waste or half-cultivated lands ; nat. from Eur. 

7. BACCHARIS L. 

Perennial herbs or shrubs, commonly resinous or glutinous, with striate 
or angled branches. Heads discoid, many-flowered, borne singly or in 
clusters. Involucre imbricated. Flowers whitish or yellowish, dioecious. 
Staminate flowers with tubular corolla. Pistillate flowers with thread¬ 
like corolla. Pappus of capillary bristles. (The god Bacchus.) 


Achenes 10-nerved; leaves obovate.1. B. pilularis. 

Achenes 5-nerved. 

Shrubs ; leaves willow-like.2. B. viminea. 

Herbs; leaves resinous.3. B. douglasii. 


1. B. pilularis DC. Coyote Brush. Chaparral Broom. Shrub 10 
to 17 dm. high; leaves sessile, 6 to 24 mm. long; heads subglobose; in¬ 
volucral bracts oblong; pappus minutely scabrous, dilated at apex into a 
bent lanceolate appendage.—Low hills, high mountain slopes or coast 
sand dunes. 

2. B. viminea DC. Mule Fat, Leafy shrub with many slender 
branching stems 11 to 23 dm. high; leaves lanceolate or oblong; heads 
narrow, clustered; involucral bracts broadly lanceolate with scarious 
margins; pappus nearly smooth.—Beds of flood streams and rivers. 

3. B. douglasii DC. Stems simple, 11 to 14 dm. high; herbage glu- 
tinuous; leaves lanceolate, acute, serrate; heads numerous in a terminal 
compound corymb; involucral bracts linear or lanceolate-linear with 
greenish center.—Moist lowlands from San Francisco Bay southw. 





160 


COMPOSITAE 


8. ANAPHALIS DC. Everlasting 

Perennial herbs with simple erect leafy stems. Leaves green above, 
woolly beneath. Heads in a compound corymb. Involucral bracts dull 
white, scarious, imbricated in several series. Flowers yellow, dioecious. 
(Ancient Greek name of some “Everlasting.”) 

1. A. margaritacea (L.) B. & H. Pearly Everlasting. Stems sev¬ 
eral from the base, 3 to 5.7 dm. high; herbage woolly; leaves lanceolate, 
sessile, with revolute margin.—Open woods. 

9. GNAPHALIUM L. Cudweed 

Woolly herbs with entire sessile or decurrent leaves. Heads discoid, 
white, yellowish, or rose-tinted, in panicles, corymbs or spikes. Involu¬ 
cral bracts imbricated, scarious. Pappus a single series of capillary 
bristles. (Greek gnaphalon, a lock of wool, these plants floccose-woolly.) 

Pappus-bristles united at base, falling together; inflorescence spike-like..... 

1. G. pupureum. 

Pappus-bristles not united at base, falling separately; inflorescence corymbose, 
paniculate or cymose. 

Involucre imbedded in loose wool; bracts rather inconspicuous. ... 2 . G. palustre. 

Involucre woolly only at base ; bracts conspicuous. 

Herbage in age becoming green, more or less glandular. 

Inflorescence corymbose ; bracts shining white.3. G. decurrens. 

Inflorescence paniculate or cymose; bracts white or rose-tinged. 

4. G. ramosissimum. 

Herbage persistently woolly, not glandular or scarcely so. 

5. G. microcephalum. 

1. G. purpureum L. Purple Cudweed. Stems simple, erect from 
a slightly decumbent base, 9.6 to 29 cm. high; herbage canescent, upper 
surface of leaves early glabrate; leaves broadly spatulate, 2.4 to 4.8 cm. 
long; involucre brownish or purplish.—Open ground. 

2. G. palustre Nutt. Lowland Cltdweed. Stems erect or ascend¬ 
ing, 7 to 19 cm. high; wool loosely floccose deciduous from the leaves; 
leaves mostly spatulate, 1.2 to 2.4 cm. long; involucral bracts imbedded 
in loose wool.—Stream beds and lowlands. 

3. G. decurrens Ives var. californicum Gray. California Ever¬ 
lasting. Stems stoutish, 5 to 9 dm. high, corymbosely branched at sum¬ 
mit; herbage soon becoming green, at maturity balsamic-scented; leaves 
oblong to lanceolate, decurrent; involucral bracts shining white.—Dry 
wooded hills of the Coast Ranges. 

4. G. ramosissimum Nutt. Pink Everlasting. Stems 1 to several 
from the base, 6 to 14 dm. high, ending in a much-branched panicle; 
herbage glandular and sweet-scented; heads reddish or pinkish.—Wooded 
hills near the coast; Sierra Nevada. 

5. G. microcephalum Nutt. White Everlasting. Stems 4 to 7 dm. 
high, branching above into a panicle; herbage bright white-woolly; 
leaves linear; panicles often 2.8 dm. long; involucral bracts white. — 
Wooded mountain slopes. 

10. WYETHIA Nutt. 

Perennial herbs with a basal tuft of leaves and simple stems with few 
and smaller leaves and one or few large heads. Involucre hemispheri¬ 
cal, its bracts in 2 or 3 unlike series, the outer large, the inner small. Ray 
and disk-flowers yellow. Pappus a crown of unequal scales or with rigid 






SUNFLOWER FAMILY 


161 


awns at the angles. (Capt. Nath. J. Wyeth, with whom Thos. Nuttall 
crossed the continent in 1834.) 

Heads relatively small; bracts of the involucres shorter than or little surpassing 

the disk.1. W. angustifolia. 

Heads very large and broad ; outer bracts of the involucre much surpassing the 
disk. 

Herbage minutely or floccose tomentose.2. W. helenioides . 

Herbage glabrous but minutely resinous.3. W. glabra. 

1. W. angustifolia Nutt. Steins 2.8 to 5.7 dm. high; leaves elongated- 
lanceolate to oblong-ovate, mostly entire; involucral bracts numerous, 
oblong-ovate to linear, ciliate; rays 4.2 to 4.8 cm. long; achenes bearing 1 
or 2, or more stout awns with some chaffy scales.—Open plains and low 
hills. 

2. W. helenioides Nutt. Stems 2.8 to 5.7 dm. high; basal leaves large, 
stem leaves much smaller; heads 7.2 cm. broad, including rays; outer 
bracts of involucre ovate-lanceolate or ovate.—Foothills and bordering 
plains. 

3. W. glabra Gray. Mule-ears. Similar to no. 2; herbage green 
and glabrous throughout; achenes and pappus glabrous.—Open hills, 
Napa Co. to San Luis Obispo Co. 

11. HELIANTHUS L. Sunflower 

Stout coarse herbs with simple leaves, all but the lowest alternate. 
Heads large. Rays yellow. Disk brownish. Bracts of the involucre im¬ 
bricated. Bracts of the receptacle persistent, embracing the 4-sided 
achenes. Pappus consisting of pointed paleae borne at the angles of the 
achene. (Greek helios, sun, and anthos, flower, the heads turning 
towards the sun.) 

Annuals ; receptacle flat or nearly so. 

Involucral bracts ovate, abruptly attenuate.1. H. annuus. 

Involucral bracts lanceolate, gradually attenuate.2. H. bolanderi. 

Perennials ; receptacle convex to low-conical; bracts with long spreading tail-like 
tips...3. H. californicus. 

1. H. annuus L. Common Sunflower. Stems simple or branch¬ 
ing, 8.6 to 23 dm. high; herbage rough-hispid; leaves deltoid-ovate, ser¬ 
rate, the upper narrow and often entire; bracts of the involucre ovate, 
slenderly acuminate; rays 2.4 to 3.6 cm. long.—Native of America; it 
has been cultivated from remote antiquity, but the wild ancestor is un¬ 
known. It runs wild in Cal. from cultivation. 

2. H. bolanderi Gray. Stems erect or branching, scabrous-hispid, 
2.8 to 8.6 dm. high; leaves ovate to oblong-lanceolate, serrate or entire; 
rays 1.6 cm. long; disk purple; bracts of the involucre hirsute, oblong- 
lanceolate, acuminate.—Low grain fields of the Sacramento Valley, w. to 
the coast. 

3. H. calif ornicus DC. California Sunflower. Fig. 7. Stems 
from somewhat tuber-like roots, 1 to 3 m. high; leaves oblong to lanceo¬ 
late, the larger 3-ribbed; bracts of involucre lanceolate, with long tail¬ 
like tips; rays 2.4 cm. or more long.—Stream beds and banks, Coast 
Ranges, Great Valley. 

12. COREOPSIS Cav. 

Ours annuals. Leaves dissected, all basal or nearly so. Flowers yel- 








162 


COMPOSITAE 


low, in showy heads on long naked peduncles. Involucre double; bracts 
of the inner series erect, membranous, of the outer series loose and 
foliaceous. Achenes flattened, more or less wing-margined. (Greek, an 
ornament.) 

1. C. calliopsidea (DC.) Gray. Leafy, 2.8 to 5.7 dm. high; bracts of 
outer series broadly ovate, those of the inner narrowly ovate; pappus 
paleae 2, linear.—Moist hillsides: South Coast Ranges; S. Cal. 

13. MADIA Mol. Tarweed 

Glandular-viscid erect herbs. Leaves alternate. Heads axillary and 
terminal. Flowers yellow, opening in the evening. Involucre angled, the 
bracts in one series. Receptacle with a single row of chaffy bracts. Rays 
few to many. (Madi, the Chilian name.) 

Receptacle glabrous; rays inconspicuous; achenes of the ray curved...1. M. satitra. 

Receptacle fimbrillate-hirsute; rays showy; achenes of the ray not incurved. 

2. M. elegans. 

1. M. sativa Mol. Chile Tarweed. Robust, 2.8 to 11.5 dm. high, 
pubescent, glandular, ill-scented; leaves broadly lanceolate to linear; rays 
5 to 12, with pale yellow ligules; cup of receptacle enclosing many disk - 
achenes.—Old fields, vacant lots and waysides; nat. from Chile. 

2. M. elegans Don. Common Madia. Stem 2.8 to 8.6 dm. high; 
leaves linear to linear-lanceolate, short-hirsute; herbage viscid; heads 
in a corymbose panicle; rays yellow or with a red spot at base.—Dry 
hillsides and valley fields. 

14. HEMIZONIA DC. Tarweed 

Viscid-glandular and ill-scented annuals with alternate or sometimes 
opposite narrow leaves. Flowers yellow or white. Disk with a circle of 
bracts or chaffy throughout. Ray-achenes short, thick, half enclosed by 


the lower part of the involucral bract. (Greek hemi, half, and zonia, 
zone, the bracts but half enclosing the achenes.) 

Ray-achenes not beaked; flowers white.1. H. luzulaefolia. 

Ray-achenes beaked ; flowers yellow. 

Receptacle with a circle of bracts surrounding disk-flowers. 

Rays 12 to 25 ; heads hemispherical.2. H. corymbosa. 

Rays 5 ; heads very narrow in small clusters.3. H. fasciculata. 

Receptacle with chaffy bracts throughout. 

Rays 4 or 5 ; leaves ending in a truncate gland.4. H. virgata. 

Rays 25 to 40 ; leaves spinose.5. H. pungens. 


1. H. luzulaefolia DC. Hay-field Tarweed. Stem freely branch¬ 
ing, diffuse or erect, 2.8 to 5.7 dm. high; lower leaves crowded, more or 
less tufted, narrowly linear, canescent; heads numerous; outer bracts of 
receptacle united into a cup.—Mowed hay fields and pasture lands. 

2. H. corymbosa (DC.) T. & G. Coast Tarweed. Corymbosely and 
widely branching, 3 to 4 dm. high; basal leaves pinnately divided, the 
upper linear; pappus minute or none.—Valley fields and hillsides, Berkeley 
to Monterey Co. 

3. H. fasciculata (DC.) T. & G. Paniculately branched, 2.2 to 5.7 
dm. high; basal leaves pinnately parted, the stem leaves linear; heads 
fascicled in rather dense small clusters; pappus of linear paleae.—Mt. 
Diablo to S. Cal. 








SUNFLOWER FAMILY 


163 


4. H. virgata Gray. Stem branching at middle into virgate branches 
bearing numerous racemosely disposed heads on short lateral branch- 
lets ; leaves linear.—Plains of the Great Valley and valleys of the inner 
South Coast Ranges; s. to S. Cal. 

5. H. pungens T. & G. Common Spikeweed. Stems branching, 2.8 
to 8.6 dm. high; leaves linear-subulate, spinose, entire, the lower pin- 
nately parted; pappus none.—Plains of the Great Valley and s. to S. Cal. 
Often covering tens of thousands of acres on the alkaline plains and form¬ 
ing dense spiny thickets. It is a valued bee plant in the San Joaquin 
and many tons of spikeweed honey are produced. 

15. LAYIA H. & A. 

Annuals with alternate leaves and showy heads of flowers. Ray-flowers 
8 to 20, yellow or white, or yellow tipped with white. Disk-flowers yel¬ 
low. Bracts in a single row, herbaceous, the thin margins at base en¬ 
folding the achene. Receptacle broad and flat, with a row of thin bracts 
between ray and disk-flowers. Ray-achenes without pappus. Disk- 
achenes with a pappus of 5 to 20 paleae or bristles, rarely none. (G. 
T. Lay, botanist to the Beechey Expedition which visited California in 
1827.) 

L L. platyglossa (F. & M.) Gray. Tidy Tips. Simple or branching, 
2 to 3.8 dm. high; herbage stipitate-glandular; leaves linear, entire or the 
lower pinnatifid; bracts of the involucre linear, denticulate-ciliate on the 
lower half; rays about 13, 1.2 cm. long, sulphur-yellow with white tips; 
achenes silky ; pappus-bristles naked.—Valleys and plains. 

2. L. glandulosa (Hook.) H. & A. Branching, 2 to 3 dm. high; 
leaves (and stems near the heads) with dark stipitate glands; leaves 
lanceolate or linear, the lower pinnatifid; rays 8 to 10, pure white, 1.2 to 
1.4 cm. long; pappus-bristles 10 to 12, white, with straight hairs toward 
the base outside and woolly tangled hairs inside.—Hills and valleys. 

16. ACHYRACHAENA Schauer 

Soft-pubescent annual with narrow leaves, the lower opposite. In¬ 
volucre oblong-campanulate, the bracts herbaceous, each enfolding a 
ray-achene. Bracts of receptacle in a single outer series. Flowers 
golden-yellow, aging reddish-brown. Ray-flowers 5 to 8, their ligules 
short and broad. Disk-achenes with pappus of silvery scales. (Greek 
achuron, chaff, and Latin achaenium, an achene, the very chaffy pappus 
conspicuous on the fruit.) 

1. A. mollis Schauer. Blow-wives. Erect, simple or branching, 2 
to 4 dm. high; branches each 1-headed.—Adobe soil of plains and 
valleys. 

17. IVA L. 

Coarse perennial herbs with entire leaves, all but the lower alternate. 
Flowers greenish-white in small nodding spicate heads. Involucre hemi¬ 
spherical, its rounded bracts about 5. Receptacle with chaff-like linear 
bracts. Marginal flowers with tubular corollas. Disk-flowers sterile, 
with 5-lobed funnelform corollas. (Said to be named after Ajuga iva 
of the mint family, on account of the similar odor.) 

1. I. axillaris Pursh. Poverty Weed. Stems many, erect from a 


164: 


COMPOSITAE 


decumbent or prostrate base, 1.4 to 2.4 dm. high; leaves narrowly obovate 
to linear, entire, sessile; heads solitary in the axils, short-peduncled; 
bracts of the involucre united into a lobed or toothed cup.—Alkaline 
plains and borders of salt marshes. 

18. AMBROSIA L. Ragweed 

Coarse aromatic perennial herbs with alternate pinnatifid leaves. 
Flowers inconspicuous, unisexual. Staminate heads in catkin-like ra¬ 
cemes ; involucres broadly hemispherical, many-flowered; corollas funnel- 
form, 5-lobed. Pistillate heads in axils of upper leaves at the base of the 
staminate racemes; involucres turbinate, 1-flowered; corollas none. 
Pappus none. Fruit an achene-like bur armed with a single row of 
prickles. (Ancient Greek name.) 

1. A. psilostachys DC. Western Ragweed. Stems simple, erect, 3 
to 8.6 dm. high, from slender running rootstocks; herbage pubescent; 
leaves once or twice pinnatifid; fruit a bur bearing 4 protuberances, or 
unarmed.—Uncultivated lands. 

19. XANTHIUM L. 

Coarse branching weeds. Leaves alternate, toothed or lobed. Heads 
unisexual. Staminate heads subglobose, in a terminal cluster, many- 
flowered ; involucre a single row of distinct narrow bracts; corollas tubu¬ 
lar. Pistillate heads axillary ; involucre closed, 2-flowered; corolla none. 
Pappus none. Fruit a bur covered with hooked prickles. (Greek xan- 
thion, yellow, from its yielding a hair-dye of that color.) 

1. X. spinosum L. Spiny Clotbur. Stems much branched, with yel¬ 
lowish 3-pronged spines beside the leaves; leaves lanceolate, 2 or 3-lobed 
or cut, green above, white pubescent beneath; corolla rusty-pubescent; 
bur sparsely prickly.—Barnyards and neglected fields; nat. from Eur. 

2. X. canadense Mill. Cockle Bur. Stems about 3 to 6 dm. high, 
not prickly; leaves deltoid-ovate, irregularly serrate or incised, often 
3-lobed, rough, green on both sides; bur glandular-pubescent on the body, 
spiny, bearing at apex a pair of strong beaks hooked or incurved at tips.— 
Low or marshy lands; nat. from the eastern U. S. 

20. BAERIA F. & M. Gold Fields 

Low mostly slender commonly hairy annuals. Leaves opposite, linear. 
Flowers yellow. Rays 5 to 15, showy or short. Involucre hemispherical, 
its bracts as many as the rays. Receptacle subulate-conical. Pappus of 
paleae or awns or both or none. (The Russian zoologist, Baer.) 

1. B. chrysostoma F. & M. Gold Fields. Stems slender, simple or 
branching, 1.2 to 2.6 dm. high; leaves narrowly linear, entire; achenes 
smooth, shining or papillate; pappus typically none.—Lower foothills 
and valley plains. Var. gracilis Hall. Achenes more or less strigose- 
pubescent; pappus of 3 or 4 awns from small lanceolate paleae, some¬ 
times none.—Mid. Cal. to S. Cal. 

21. LASTHENIA Cass. 

Glabrous annuals with opposite entire sessile leaves. Flowers yellow, 
with 5 to 15 rays. Bracts of involucres more or less united into a 
toothed cup. Receptacle conical, covered with points which bear the 


SUNFLOWER FAMILY 


165 


achenes. Pappus of 5 to 10 paleae or none. (Named for a Greek girl 
who attended the lectures of Plato in the garb of a man.) 

1. L. glabrata Lindl. Usually branching above the base, 2.6 to 3.8 dm. 
high; leaves linear and entire or the upper pair broadly lanceolate and 
toothed, connate and sheath-like at base; peduncles elongated; pappus 
present.—Borders of salt marshes. 

22. MONOLOPIA DC. 

White-woolly annuals with alternate sessile entire or low-denticulate 
leaves and large peduncled heads of golden yellow flowers. Involucre 
hemispherical. Receptacle conical, naked. Rays with the ligule 3 or 4- 
toothed at apex and bearing at base and opposite the ligule an oblong or 
roundish denticulate appendage. Achenes angular, black. Pappus none. 
(Greek mono, single, and lopos, husk, on account of the bracts of the 
involucre in one series.) 

1. M. major DC. Simple or branching, 2 to 4 dm. high; bracts of the 
involucre united into a broadly campanulate cup with triangular teeth: 
rays 6 to 20 mm. long.—Valleys. 

23. ERIOPHYLLUM Lag. 

White-woolly herbs. Leaves alternate, divided or entire. Involucre 
oblong to hemispherical, its bracts rigid and erect. Receptacle flat. Rays 
broad, 4 to 15, or none. Achenes linear. Pappus of firm pointless paleae 
or none. (Greek erion, wool, and phullon, leaf, the herbage woolly.) 

1. E. staechadifolium Lag. Lizapd Tail. Diffuse, 5.7 to 8.6 dm. 
high; leaves pinnately parted into 5 or 7 lobes, margins revolute, under 
surface white with a felt-like tomentum, upper surface green; heads in 
compact corymbs; involucres broadly oblong, 5 to 6 mm. high; rays 6 
to 8; paleae unequal.—Sandy hills and fields near the ocean. 

2. E. confertiflorum (DC.) Gray. Stems 3.6 to 5.7 dm. high, with a 
dense deciduous tomentum; leaves small, ternately or pinnately parted 
into 3 to 7 linear divisions; heads in compact terminal clusters; involucres 
3 to 4 mm. high; rays 4 to 5; paleae nearly equal.—Hill and mountain 
summits, Coast Ranges, s. to S. Cal. 

24. HELENIUM L. Sneezeweed 

Erect herbs with resinous-dotted herbage. Leaves alternate, the 
upper sessile, mostly decurrent on the stem. Heads solitary or corym¬ 
bose on long naked peduncles. Flowers golden-yellow, the disk-corollas 
turning yellowish or brown. Bracts of the involucre linear, reflexed. 
Receptacles globose or hemispherical. Pappus of 5 to 12 short-pointed 
paleae. (Greek name of some plant, perhaps named after Helenus, son 
of Priam.) 

1. H. puberulum DC. Rosilla. Paniculately branched, 5.7 to 14 
dm. high; leaves lanceolate or linear, sessile, decurrent on the stem; rays 
reflexed; inconspicuous; disk-flowers red-brown.—Creek beds, stream 
banks and about springy places. 

25. ANTHEMIS L. Chamomile 

Ill-scented branching herbs with finely dissected alternate leaves. Heads 
solitary, on terminal peduncles. Ray-flowers white, sterile. Disk-flowers 
yellow. Bracts scarious, margined with a greenish nerve, at length dry, 


166 


COMPOSITAE 


imbricated in several series. Receptacle conical, chaffy toward the sum¬ 
mit. Pappus none. (Ancient Greek name of the chamomile.) 

1. A. cotula L. Dog-fennel. Plants 3 to 8.5 dm. high; heads 1.8 
cm. broad; rays 14 to 20, at length reflexed.—Nat. from Eur., a weed in 
waste lands. Also called Mayweed and Trail weed. 

26. ACHILLEA L. Yarrow 

Perennial herbs with alternate leaves pinnately divided into many fine 
segments. Heads in a terminal corymb. Ravs few, white. Disk- 
flowers yellow. Involucre oblong or ovoid, its bracts imbricated, with 
scarious margins. Receptacle chaffy, nearly flat. Achenes flattened. 
Pappus none. (In honor of Achilles.) 

1. A. millefolium L. Common Yarrow. Stem simple, 5.8 to 8.6 dm. 
high; rays 4 or 5.—Seashore to the mountains. Also called Milfoil. 

27. COTULA L. 

Low strong-scented herbs. Leaves alternate, lobed, dissected or entire. 
Flowers yellow. Bracts of involucre greenish, in about 2 ranks. Outer 
series of flowers pistillate only, long-pediceled; corolla none. Disk- 
flowers with 4-toothed corollas, shortly pediceled or sessile. Pappus 
none. (Greek kotule, small cup or low vessel.) 

1. C. coronopifolia L. Brass Buttons. Perennial, somewhat suc¬ 
culent, often subaquatic; stems decumbent, 1.4 to 2.8 dm. long; heads de¬ 
pressed, 8 to 10 mm. broad.—Saline flats, salt marshes and springy places 
in the hills. It is one of the first plants to take possession of reclaimed 
mud flats. 

28. ARTEMISIA L. Sage-Brush 

Herbs or shrubs, mostly bitter and aromatic, with alternate leaves. 
Heads small, in panicled spikes or racemes. Flowers yellow or purplish. 
Rays none. Involucre imbricated, dry and scarious. Pappus none. 
(Named after Artemisia, wife of Mausolus, king of Caria.) 

Flowers all fertile; style 2-cleft. 

Shrubs; achenes with a minute crown-shaped pappus ; herbage grayish-pubes¬ 
cent ; leaves filiform, entire or with linear filiform divisions. 

1. A. californica. 

Herbs ; achenes wholly destitute of pappus ; leaves green above, broad, entire 

or incised.....2. A. heterophylla. 

Only the marginal pistillate flowers fertile ; style mostly entire. 

Leaves dissected; herbage densely silky villous.3. A. pycnocephala. 

Leaves linear, entire; herbage glabrous.4. A. dracunculcrides. 

1. A. calif ornica Less. Old Man. Gray shrub 1.2 to 11.5 dm. high; 
leaves minutely pubescent, the lowest once or twice parted into linear- 
filiform segments, the upper entire and more or less fascicled; heads in 
long racemose panicles; pappus minute, squamellate, crown-shaped.— 
Exposed slopes of hills. 

2. A. heterophylla Nutt. California Mugwort. Stems from run¬ 
ning rootstocks, erect, woody at base, strict, 8.6 to 17 dm. high; leaves 
lanceolate to elliptic, entire or sparingly pinnatifid or cleft, green above, 
glabrous or white-tomentose beneath; heads mostly erect; marginal 
flowers pistillate, disk-flowers perfect.—Along stream banks and else¬ 
where. 






SUNFLOWER FAMILY 


167 


3. A. pycnocephala DC. Stems stout, simple, 4 to 6.5 dm. high; leaves 
once or twice divided into linear lobes; inflorescence a dense virgate 
panicle; involucre villous.—Sand hills along the coast. 

4. A. dracunculoides Pursh. Stems branched, 5.8 to 13 dm. high; 
leaves linear, entire or the lowermost 3-toothed or -cleft; marginal flowers 
fertile, disk-flowers perfect but sterile.—S. Cal., Sierra Nevada, e. and n. 

29. ARNICA L. 

Montane herbs, somewhat glandular or aromatic. Stems single, bear¬ 
ing 1 to several large heads at summit. Leaves mostly opposite. In¬ 
volucre broadly campanulate; bracts somewhat in 2 ranks. Receptacle 
flat, naked. Disk- and ray-flowers yellow. Achenes slender, with a 
callous knob at base. Pappus a single row of strongly roughened white 
bristles. (Origin of name obscure.) 

1. A. discoidea Benth. Coast Arnica. Plants 3.6 to 5.4 dm. high, 
glandular-pubescent above; leaves ovate or oblong, dentate, petioled; 
cauline leaves sessile; rays none.—Dry open woods. 

30. SENECIO L. Groundsel 

Herbs with alternate leaves and heads in terminal corymbs, rarely 
solitary. Heads many-flowered. Disk- and ray-flowers yellow. In¬ 
volucre cylindrical to campanulate. Bracts of equal length in 1 or 2 
rows. Achenes terete. Pappus of abundant white soft hairs. (Latin 
senex, an old man, on account of the white hair-like pappus.) 

Perennials. 

Stems numerously and nearly equably leafy; leaves or their divisions linear 
to filiform.1. S. douglasii. 

Stems few-leaved, naked above or the upper leaves reduced. 

Stems tall and simple, from a coarsely fibrous cluster of roots.. 

2. S’, hydrophilus. 

Stems several or in tufts, from creeping rootstocks.3. Y. aronicoides. 

Annuals; rays none or minute; involucral bracts black-tipped.4. S. vulgaris. 

1. S. douglasii DC. Creek Senecio. Bush 5 to 15 dm. high; herbage 
at first whitish-tomentose, later glabrate; involucre broadly turbinate, the 
bracts linear with attenuate tips; rays about 15.—Dry stream beds or 
moist swales. 

2. S. hydrophilus Nutt. Stem purplish, 6 to 15 dm. high; herbage 
glabrous; leaves fleshy-coriaceous, entire or nearly so; lower leaves short- 
petioled, the upper sessile or partly clasping; heads numerous; rays none 
or rarely few.—Marshes about San Francisco Bay and n. 

3. S. aronicoides DC. Stem robust, 3 to 8.5 dm. high; heads many 
or few; leaves ovate to oblong, the upper auricled at base; rays none, 
rarely 1 or 2.—Thickets or sparsely chaparral-covered country. 

4. S. vulgaris L. Common Groundsel. Stem simple or branching, 
1 to 3 dm. high; leaves pinnatifid with jagged margin; heads in terminal 
corymbs; involucres cylindrical, with conspicuously black-tipped small 
bracts at base.—Common weed from Eur. 

31. CIRSIUM Scop. Thistle 

Stout herbs. Leaves alternate, prickly or spiny-toothed or pinnatifid. 
Head with numerous crimson, white, or yellowish flowers, all tubular. 
Involucre spherical to cylindrical, the bracts imbricated, usually tipped 






168 


COMPOSITAE 


with a prickle. Receptacle with soft bristles. Pappus of 1 series of 
bristles. (Kirsiori, Greek name of a kind of thistle.) 

Stem spinose-winged by decurrent leaf-bases.1. C. lanceolatum. 

Stem not spinose-winged. 

Cefiter and middle series of involucral bracts entire. 

Bracts with closely appressed base and widely spreading upper portion, 
this straight or incurved.2. C. coulteri. 

Bracts straight, festooned with cobwebby hairs.3. C. occidentale. 

At least the outer series of involucral bracts fimbriate or pinnately spinose. 

4. C. edule. 

1. C. lanceolatum (L.) Scop. Bull Thistle. Spreading, 5.7 to 10 
dm. high; leaves lanceolate, deeply pinnatifid, midrib and veins spiny, 
base decurrent into interrupted prickly wings: upper surface strigose- 
setulose; involucral bracts with prickly pointed spreading tips; flowers 
rose-purple.—Waste lands and pastures; nat. from Eur. 

2. C. coulteri (Gray) Jepson. Stems branching, 10 to 20 dm. high; 
herbage white-tomentose or becoming green; leaves pinnately parted, 
upper lanceolate; involucre little woolly or nearly glabrous; flowers 
bright crimson.—Coast Ranges and southern Sierra Nevada. 

3. C. occidentale (Nutt.) Jepson. Stout, 4 to 8.5 dm. high, white 
with thick coating of wool; leaves lanceolate to oblong, not very prickly, 
often glabrate above; involucral bracts straight, furnished with spines 
and cobwebby hairs; flowers red or purple.—Sand hills near the coast. 

4. C. edule Nutt. Indian Thistle. Stem simple, robust but suc¬ 
culent, 10 to 17 dm. high; leaves thin, tomentose below, narrowly oblong 
to oblanceolate, shallowly sinuate-pinnatifid, prickly-ciliate; involucre 
woolly when young, glabrate in age; outermost bracts foliaceous, pin¬ 
nately spinose; flowers dull-purple or whitish.—Along creeks and 
gulches in Coast Ranges. 

32. CYNARA Vaill. 

Stout herb with pinnatifid or bipinnatifid leaves. Flowers blue. Heads 
very large, globose. Involucral bracts broadly ovate. Receptacle fleshy. 
Pappus of many series of plumose bristles. (From the Greek kuon, a 
dog, the spines of the involucre being likened to a dog’s teeth.) 

1. C. scolymus L. Artichoke.. Plant 3 to 8 dm. high; herbage 
more Or less tomentose; leaves bipinnatifid, the acute lobes scarcely spi¬ 
nose; inner involucral bracts with scarious tips, the outer with thickened 
tips.—Cult, from Eur., sometimes run wild. 

33. SILYBUM Gaertn. 

Herbs. Leaves ample, sinuate-pinnatifid, prickly, clasping, smooth and 
shining above and very conspicuously blotched with white along the 
veins. Heads very large, solitary. Bracts of the involucre broad, bear¬ 
ing ail abruptly spreading ovate or lanceolate spine. Flowers purple. 
Corolla with filiform tube conspicuously dilated below the narrowly 
linear lobes. Pappus-bristles in several series. (Old Greek name applied 
to thistle-like plants.) 

1. S. marianum Gaertn. Milk Thistle. Leaves 4.3 to 7.2 dm. long, 
1.4 to 2.8 dm. wide, strongly undulate at the sinuses; heads about 4.8 to 
6 cm. broad.—Naturalized in waste places; native of the Mediterranean 
region. 






SUNFLOWER FAMILY 


169 


34. CENTAUREA L. Star Thistle 
Rigid herbs with alternate leaves which are not prickly. Involucre 
ovoid or globose, the bracts imbricated and ending in a needle-like prickle. 
Receptacle with dense persistent bristles. Flowers yellow or purple, all 
tubular. Pappus of 2 or 3 rows of bristles or short scales. (Named for 
one of the Centaurs who used it in healing.) 


Flowers yellow ; leaves decurrent on the stem. 

Annual; plants erect, branching mostly above the base.1. C. melitensis. 

Perennial; plants diffuse, branching from the base.2. C. solstitialis. 

Flowers purple or blue; leaves not decurrent.3. C. calcitrapa. 


1. C. melitensis L. Napa Thistle. Erect branching annual, 3 to 6 
dm. high, the stem winged by the decurrent leaves; lowest leaves pin- 
natifkl, the upper mostly entire; flowers yellow; pappus-bristles in about 
3 rows.—-Common weed of agricultural lands, nat. from Eur. 

2. C. solstitialis L. Yellow Star Thistle. Diffuse, branching from 
the base, 3 to 7 dm. high, cottony pubescent; basal leaves pinnatifid, can- 
line linear, decurrent; flowers bright yellow.—Nat. from Eur., a highly 
noxious thistle of cultivated field and open lands, causing great loss to 
agricultural interests. When botanists first made known its presence in 
California it could have been exterminated for less than a hundred dol¬ 
lars ; at the present time millions of dollars would not suffice. 

3. C. calcitrapa L. Purple Star Thistle. Dense bushy plants 7 
to 11 dm. high; leaves pinnately divided or the uppermost undivided; 
flowers purple; achenes without pappus.—Nat. from Eur.; a highly offen¬ 
sive alien, making taller and denser spiny thickets of growth than no. 2, 
but keeping mostly to uncultivated land. Its presence as a dangerous 
weed was made known by botanists in 1885. 

35. HYPOCHAERIS L. 

Herbs with naked stems bearing a solitary head or a somewhat corym¬ 
bose cluster of long-peduncled heads. Flowers yellow. Leaves in a 
basal rosette. Involucre campanulate or cylindrical, its bracts rather 
few, lanceolate, imbricated. Achenes 10-ribbed, narrowly oblong, taper¬ 
ing into a slender beak. Pappus of plumose bristles. (Greek name used 
by Theophrastus for some cichoriaceous plant.) 

1. H. glabra L. Smooth Cat's-ear. Stems several, erect, mostly 
corymbosely branched, 1.4 to 3.8 dm. high; leaves broadest above; heads 
campanulate.—Cult, fields and pasture lands, a widely spread weed; 
nat. from Eur. 

36. PICRI3 L. 

Coarse rough-bristly biennial with leafy stems. Heads terminal or 
along the branches. Flowers yellow. Outer bracts of involucre loose 
and spreading, inner bracts erect. Achene somewhat flattened, with a 
long beak. Pappus of densely plumose bristles. (Greek pikros, bitter.) 

1. P. echiodes L. Bristly Ox-tongue. Stems branching, 2.8 to 8.6 
dm. high, hispid with barbed hairs; leaves narrowly oblong, sessile, 
rough-hispid.—Open fields and waste grounds, an offensive weed; nat. 
from Eur. 





170 


COMPOSITAE 


37. STEPHANOMERIA Nutt. 

Usually tall and rather slender herbs, paniculately branching above. 
Leaves runcinate or entire. Heads small. Flowers pink or flesh color, 
open in the early morning. Ligules all equal. Involucre cylindrical. 
Achenes strongly angled. Pappus-bristles white or brownish, plumose. 
(Greek stephane, a wreath, and meros, a division, referring to the 
virgate branches.) 

1. S. virgata Benth. Stem rigid, virgate or with virgate branches, 
3 to 12 dm. high; upper leaves linear, lower oblong or spatulate; heads 
subsessile or on slender bracteate peduncles along the branches.—Open 
canon sides and ridges. 

38. TRAGOPOGON L, 

Stout glabrous herbs, somewhat succulent. Leaves grass-like, entire, 
clasping. Heads large, long-peduncled, open only in the forenoon. Flowers 
purple. Involucral bracts in 1 series. Achenes muricate, 5 to 10-ribbed, 
long-beaked. Pappus-bristles long-plumose. (Greek tragos, a goat, and 
pogon, a beard.) 

1. T. porrifolius L. Salsify. Stems from a stout taproot, leafy at 
base, 5.7 to 11.5 dm. high; leaves linear-lanceolate, 2.8 dm. or more 
long.—Cult, from Eur. for its edible root; also sparingly naturalized. 

39. MALACOTHRIX DC. 

Herbs with leafy or almost naked stems. Heads peduncled. Flowers 
yellow, white, or pinkish. Achenes short, ribbed at apex, with an entire 
or denticulate border. Pappus-bristles soft, more or less united at base 
and falling together. (Greek malakos, soft, and thrix, hair, in refer¬ 
ence to the long wool on M. californica, type of the genus.) 

Involucre imbricated in several series; bracts linear to orbicular, scarious. 

1. M. coulteri. 

Involucre little imbricated; bracts lanceolate to linear, not obviously scarious- 
margined. ..2. M. obtusa. 

1. M. coulteri Gray. Snake’s Head. Simple or branching from 
the base, 1.2 to 4.8 dm. high; lower leaves narrowly oblong, the upper 
ovate to lanceolate, sessile; involucral bracts silvery-scarious with a dark 
median line; pappus-bristles 1 to 4. persistent.—San Joaquin Valley to 
S. Cal. 

2. M. obtusa Benth. Stems 1 to 3.8 dm. high, nearly naked; basal 
leaves often bearing tufts of wool on the margin; none of the pappus- 
bristles persistent.—Higher mountain slopes. 

40. SONCHUS L. Sow-Thistle 

Leafy-stemed coarse annual weeds. Heads corvmbed or umbellate, 
swollen at base. Involucral bracts with many shorter ones at base. 
Achenes obcompressed, not beaked. Pappus copious, of cottony-white 
hairs, mainly falling together. (Greek name of the Sow-Thistle.) 

Leaves when sessile sagittate-clasping; peduncles glabrous; achenes longitudi¬ 
nally ribbed and transversely rugose.1. S. oleraceus. 

Leaves when sessile usually auriculate-clasping; peduncles hispid; achenes with 3 
ribs on each side, the intervals smooth.2. S . asper. 

1. S. oleraceus L. Common Sow-Thistle. Stem erect, nearly simple, 
2.8 to 11.5 dm. high; leaves lyrately or runcinately pinnatifid, the ter- 






ALISMACEAE 


171 


minal segment large and triangular, lower petioled, upper sessile.—Old 
fields and waste places; nat. from Eur. 

2. S. asper L. Prickly Sow-Thistle. Similar to no. 1; leaves 
sometimes undivided.—Old fields and waste places; nat. from Eur. 

41. LACTUCA L. Lettuce 

Tall leafy-stemmed annuals or biennials with panicled heads of yellow 
or purple flowers. Leaves alternate. Involucral bracts imbricated in 2 
or more series of unequal lengths. Rays 5-toothed. Pappus of soft white 
capillary hairs which fall separately. (Ancient Latin, from lac, milk, 
referring to the milky juice.) 

1. L. scariola L. Prickly Lettuce. Stems paniculately branched 
above, 5.7 to 14 dm. high; leaves oblong or oblong-lanceolate, pinnatifid, 
sessile or clasping, with a row of soft prickles on the lower side of the 
midrib: heads numerous; rays cream-vellow.—Introduced from Europe; 
roadsides, waste places and grain fields. Cows are fond of the green 
herbage. 

2. L. sativa L. Garden Lettuce. Similar to no. 1 but with unarmed 
midrib.—Cult, from Eur. as a salad plant for man. 

42. AGOSERIS Raf. 

Herbs, the stems naked and scape-like, bearing single large heads. 
Leaves in a basal tuft, elongated. Flowers yellow. Involucre cam- 
panulate, its bracts imbricated. Achenes 10-ribbed, prolonged into a fili¬ 
form beak. Pappus-bristles fine, copious. (Greek agos, chief, and seris, 
lettuce.) 

1. A. heterophylla (Nutt.) Greene. Annual; stems slender, 7.2 to 
28.8 cm. high; herbage villous-pubescent; leaves linear to oblong, entire, 
denticulate or sinuate pinnatifid; involucral bracts lanceolate-acuminate; 
achenes 2 to 4 mm. long; beak 4 to 8 mm. long.—S. Cal.; Sierra Nevada, 
North Coast Ranges. 

2. A. plebeia Greene. Perennial; stems stout, 3.8 to 4.8 dm. high; 
herbage hirsute-pubescent to glabrate; leaves lanceolate or spatulate, en¬ 
tire, dentate, laciniate or lobed ; achenes 5 to 6 mm. long, the beak 14 to 
20 mm. long.—San Francisco Bay region to S. Cal. 


Class II.—MONOCOTYLEDONS 

ALISMACEAE. WATER PLANTAIN FAMILY 

Marsh or aquatic herbs with basal leaves, scape-like flower stems and 
perfect or unisexual flowers. Perianth of 3 outer herbaceous persistent 
sepals and 3 inner white delicate deciduous petals. Stamens 6 to many or 
numerous. Ovaries numerous, distinct, 1-celled, 1-ovuled, becoming 
achenes in fruit. Endosperm none; embryo strongly recurved or folded. 
—Species about 50, temperate and tropic zones. 


Achenes verticillate in a single whorl; stamens 6. 1. Alisma. 

Achenes crowded on a globose receptacle; stamens numerous. 2, Sagittaria. 





172 


TYPHACEAE 


1. ALISMA L. 

Erect perennial herbs. Inflorescence a panicle of whorled branches 
each bearing a simple or compound umbel of perfect flowers. Petals 
small, scarcly exceeding the sepals. Stamens 6, with short filaments. 
Achenes numerous, crowded in a whorl. (Alisma, the Greek name.) 

1. A. plantago L. Water PlAntain. Plants 5.7 to 11.5 (or 17) dm. 
high; rootstock becoming almost bulbous by the sheathing bases of the 
petioles; leaf-blades ovate to oblong, abruptly acute, the larger often sub- 
cordate at base.—Margins of ponds, rivers and lakes. 

2. SAGXTTARIA L. Arrow-head 

Marsh or aquatic perennial herbs with thickened or tuberous root¬ 
stocks, fibrous roots and milky juice. Leaves sheathing the stem at base ; 
earlier leaves (phyllodia) destitute of blades, later producing small entire 
blades or most commonly sagittate blades. Flowers pediceled, borne in 
whorls of 3 on the upper part of the stem, with membranous bracts. 
Flowers monoecious (rarely dioecious), the staminate above. Petals 
longer than the sepals. Stamens numerous, inserted above the receptacle. 
Ovaries numerous, crowded on a globose receptacle. Achenes flat, winged 
or margined, beaked by the short style. (Latin sagitta, an arrow, refer¬ 
ring to the shape of the leaves.) 

1. S. latifolia Willd. Tule Potato. Leaf-blades sagittate, very vari¬ 
able in outline and size, 4.8 to 28 cm. long; basal lobes lanceolate to broad¬ 
ly ovate, acuminate, commonly divaricate, y 2 to as long as the terminal 
lobe; scape simple or branched, 7.2 to 86 cm. high; achene 3 mm. long.— 
Rivers and deltas. 

TYPHACEAE. CAT-TAIL FAMILY 

Marsh or water herbs with linear leaves, staminate and pistillate 
flowers in a terminal compact cylindrical spike, and no calyx nor corolla. 
Ovary 1-celled, becoming a 1-seeded nut-like fruit.—About 12 species in 
the tropical and temperate zones. 

1. TYPHA L. 

Tall herbs with large grass-like leaves sheathing the base of the simple 
stem and terminated by a long and very dense cylindrical spike of flowers, 
the upper part staminate and wilting, the lower part pistillate, very com¬ 
pact and persistent. (Ancient Greek name of the cat-tail.) 

1. T. latifolia L. Cat-tail. Stem 11.5 to 17 dm. high ; pistillate por¬ 
tion of spike dark brown.—Marshes or marshy places along streams. 

PALMACEAE. PALM FAMILY 

Commonly trees with columnar unbranched trunks covered with leaL 
scars or the bases of leaf-stalks and bearing a tuft of large leaves at 
summit. Leaves sharply plaited when young, eventually tearing more or 
less along the lines of the folds. Flowers minute, borne in a large pan¬ 
icle enclosed by a spathe. Fruit a berry, drupe or nut.—The Palm Family, 
represented by about 1200 species in the warm regions of the earth, is 
one of the most important families of seed plants; the economic value of 


LILIACEAE 


173 


palms cannot well be overestimated. They furnish fibre, timber, sugar, 
starch, oils, fats, resin and wine, while the date palm supplies millions 
of human beings with their daily food in Arabia and in nearly the whole 
of Africa north of the equator. In addition to the fruit nearly every 
part of the date tree is converted to useful purpose. 


Leaves fan-shaped; flowers perfect . 1 . Washingtonia. 

Leaves pinnate : flowers dioecious. 2. Phoenix. 


1. WASHINGTONIA Wendl. Fan Palm 

Trees with fan-shaped much folded blades and long petioles armed 
with stout hooked spines along the margins. Fruit a berry. (In honor 
of President Washington.) 

1. W. filifera Wendl. California Fan Palm. Columnar tree 5 to 
22 m. high, sometimes clothed to the ground with dead leaf-bases; leaves 
8.6 to 17 dm. long; berries black, oval, 6 to 7 mm. long.—Moist spots, 
easterly and northerly sides of the Colorado Desert; cult, as an avenue 
tree. 

2. PHOENIX L. 

Trees. Leaves pinnate, spreading, recurved, folded upwards and 
lengthwise; petioles spiny. Fruit a berry or drupe. (The old Greek 
name, perhaps from the Egyptian phoenix, the tree again sending up a 
living green tuft after fire.) 

Leaves rather robust, coarse...1. P. dactylifera. 

Leaves very slender, graceful.2. P. canariensis. 

1. P. dactylifera L. Date Palm. Stem erect, 20 to 30 m. high: 
leaves glaucous, rather robust, coarse; leaflets linear-lanceolate, 2 to 3.8 
dm. long, strongly complicate; fruit cylindrical-elliptical, 2.4 to 4.8 cm. 
long.—Cult, from Arabia. Date orchards are an important industry in 
the Coachella Desert in Riverside Co. 

2. P. canariensis Hort. Canary Palm. Like no. 1 but more slender 
and graceful in all its parts; leaves very slender, green, more numerous: 
leaf-stalks greenish yellow.—Cult, from Canary Isis, as an ornamental 
tree. 


LILIACEAE. LILY FAMILY 

Perennial herbs, rarely shrubs or trees. Stems from bulbs, corms or 
rootstocks. Flowers regular. Perianth with 6 lobes or segments. Sta¬ 
mens 6. Styles 1 or 3. Ovary superior, 3-eelled, becoming a capsule 
or berry.—-Species about 1700, in all parts of the world. The family in¬ 
cludes a few food plants, some bast-fibre plants (Phormium tenax or 
New Zealand Flax) and a large number of ornamentals. 

A. Fruit a pod. 

Herbs. 

Styles 3 and distinct; perianth-segments white with green glands at base. 

1. Zygadenus. 

Style 1, entire or 3-lobed or 3-parted. 

Plants without rootstocks. 

Stems from a tunicated bulb or conn. 

Flowers with bracts. 

Flowers not in umbels. 







174 


LILIACEAE 


Flowers in a loose terminal raceme.2. Camassia. 

Flowers in panicles.3. Chlorogalum. 


Flowers in umbels, always with a circle of 2 or more bracts. 

Perianth-segments united below into a tube. 

4. Brodiaea. 

Perianth-segments distinct or nearly so. 

Bracts 2 or 3 ; bractlets none. Allium. 

Bracts 4 to 6 ; pedicels with minute bractlets. 

6. Muilla. 

Flowers without bracts; outer perianth-segments sepal-like, the 

inner petal-like.....7. Calochortus. 

Stems leafy, from a scaly bud. 

Style 3-cleft, rarely entire; anthers attached at base or below 

the middle. .......... 8 . Fritillaria. 

Style entire; anthers attached at middle.9. Lilium. 

Plants with vertical rootstocks; stem with a whorl of 3 leaves and a 

single flower...1.......:....10. Trillium. 

Shrubs; leaves rigid, bayonet-like....:....:... 11. Yucca. 


B. Fruit a berry; plants with rootstocks. 

Leaves foliaceous. 

Stem simple; flowers very small, in simple or compound racemes 


12. Smilacina. 

Stem branching; flowers solitary or few in a cluster. 13^ Disporum. 

Leaves reduced to scales; branchlets filiform. 14. Asparagus. 


1. ZYGADENUS Michx. Zygadene 

Stem simple, scape-like, from a coated bulb. Leaves linear, mostly 
basal. Flowers greenish white, in a raceme or panicle. Perianth nearly 
rotate, withering-persistent. Segments ovate or oblong-lanceolate, with 
a green glandular spot at the narrow base. Capsule deeply 3-lobed. 
(Greek zugon, a yoke, and aden, a gland.) 

1. Z. venenosus Wats. Death Camas. Plants 2 to 5.8 dm. high; 
leaves narrowly linear, the basal much broader; raceme broader than in 
no. 2, more or less compound; bracts of raceme lanceolate, much ex¬ 
ceeding the buds; stamens equaling perianth.—Mountain and valley 
meadows. 

2. Z. fremontii Wats. Star Zygadene. Plants 3.5 to 7 dm. high; 
bulb globose or oblong, the outside coats dark; raceme narrow, mostly 
simple, with mostly green bracts; stamens >4 as long as perianth; gland 
greenish-yellow, tdothed on its upper margin.—Bushy hills and plains, 
common. 


2. CAMASSIA Lindl. Camass 

Stems scape-like, from a tunicated bulb, the leaves all basal. Flowers 
dark blue or nearly white. Pedicels jointed at the summit. Perianth- 
segments oblanceolate, somewhat spreading. Style slightly 3-cleft at apex. 
(Quamash, or camass, the name of the northwest Indians.) 

1. C. leichtlinii Wats. Plants 2.8 to 5./ dm. high; racemes loosely 7 
to 18-flowered; perianth 1.8 to 3 cm. long; its segments 5 to 9-nerved, 
withering about the ovary, at length deciduous; pod oblong-obovate’ 















LILY FAMILY 


175 


slightly notched at apex.—Meadows and marshes near the coast, 
Marin Co. n. 


3. CHLOROGALUM Kunth. 

Stems from a tunicated bulb, almost leafless, ending in a large panicle. 
Basal leaves long-linear, undulate. Perianth-segments 6, ribbon-like, per¬ 
sistent and twisted over the ovary. Stamens 6. Capsule 3-lobed. . (Greek 
chloros, green, and gala, milk or juice.) 

1. C. pomeridianum Kunth. Soap Plant. Plants 6 to 28 dm. high, 
the bulb with a dense coat of brown fibres; perianth-segments white, 1.6 
to 2.4 cm. long.—Dry fields and hillsides. The bulb was used by the 
Spanish-Californians for soap. 


4. BRODIAEA Sm. 


Scapes from corms. Leaves basal, few and grass-like. Umbels loose 
or head-like. Perianth tubular, 6-lobed or -cleft. Stamens 6, or the alter¬ 
nate ones replaced by dilated sterile filaments or staminodia; filaments 
slender or more frequently winged and produced beyond the anthers in 
the form of thin appendages. Fruit a capsule. (James Brodie, F. L. S., 
Scotch botanist.) 


Umbels loose. 

Stamens 3, alternating with staminodia. 

Scapes almost wholly subterranean ; staminodia yellowish.. .1. B. terrestris. 
Scapes 7.2 to 48 cm. high ; staminodia white or purple. 

Perianth-segments linear; throat of tube strongly constricted; sta¬ 
minodia purple...2. B. synandra. 

Perianth-segments oblong; throat of the tube little or not at all 
constricted; staminodia white......3. B. coronaria. 


Stamens 6. 

Filaments filiform; stamens in 2 rows.4. B. laxa. 

Filaments dilated. 

Flowers yellow; filaments forked at apex.5. B. ixioides. 

Flowers white; filaments with broadly triangular and slightly 
united bases . 6 . B. hyacinthina. 


Umbels capitate or congested. 

Stamens commonly 3. 

Flowers blue-purple; staminodia deeply parted..7. B. pulchella. 

Flowers rose-red or pinkish ; staminodia anther-like.8. B. volubilis. 

Stamens 6 ; bracts very conspicuous.9. B. capitata. 


1. B. terrestris Kell. Scape very short, the umbel sitting on the 
ground; perianth purple.—Monterey to Mendocino, near the coast. 

2. B. synandra (Hel.) Jepson. Scape 7.2 to 14.4 cm. high, bearing 
an umbel of 2 to 5 blue flowers on pedicels 2.4 to 6 cm. long; perianth 
tubular-campanulate; staminodia retuse, commonly longer than the sta- 
mens.—Dry or gravelly soil of the Sacramento or San Joaquin 
valleys. 

3. B. coronaria (Salisb.) Jepson. Harvest Brodiaea. Scape 1.6 to 
4.3 dm. high; umbels 3 to 11-flowered; pedicels unequal, 2.4 to 8.4 cm. 
long; perianth violet-purple, 3 to 4.2 cm. long, its tube oblong with 
rotate or recurving segments; staminodia acute, mostly shorter than the 
stamens—Common on rolling plains or foothills. 










176 


LILtACEAE 


4. B. laxa (Benth.) Wats. Grass Nut. Fig. 8. Scape 2.8 to 5.7 
dm. high, rigid, 
stoutish; umbel 
10 to 25-flower- 
ed; perianth 
funnel-form, 3.6 
to 4.2 cm. long, 
violet - purple: 
stamens 6, an¬ 
thers 2-lobed at 
base, all with 
distinct fila¬ 
ments ; ovary on 
a s t i p e.—Hill- 
slopes, Coast 
Ranges; Sierra 
Nevada. Sheep 
are fond of the 
herbage. 

5. B. ixioides 
(Ait. f.) Wats. 

Golden Bro- 
diaea. Scape 
1.4 to 4.3 dm. 
h i g h, usually 

scabrous: um- Fig- 8- Brodiaea laxa Wats.; a, infl. x %; b, long. sect, 
bels 16 to 26- throu g h perianth x %. 

flowered; pedicels 3 cm. long or less; perianth about 2 cm. long, salmon- 
yellow, a black-purple vein running on the outside from apex to the base 
of each segment ; stamens alternately long and short, the anthers on a 
cusp in the notch.—Foothills and mountains. 

6. B. hyacinthina (Lind!.) Baker. White Brodiaea. Scape 2.8 to 5 
dm. high; umbels 20-flowered, more or less; perianth open-campanulate, 
cleft below the middle, white or bluish-white with green midveins, 1 to 1.4 
cm. long; ovary with 3 glandular pits toward summit; pod with a short 
stipe.—Low moist ground. 

7. B. pulchella (Salisb.) Greene. Ookow. Scape 5.7 to 14 dm. high, 
often flexuous; heads dense, 6 to 16-flowered, subtended by 3 to 5 ovate 
acuminate bracts; flowers 1.4 to 1.6 cm. long; perianth-segments oblong, 
spreading; stamens with anthers 3; anthers bifid at each end, sessile.— 
Alameda Co. to Humboldt Co. and n. 

8. B. volubilis (Kell.) Baker. Snake Lily. Twining Brodiaea. 
Scape 5.7 to 8.6 dm. high, twining over bushes; umbels 18 to 30-flowered; 
flower-tube 6 to 8 mm. long and broad, 6-angled, the angles produced 
into sacs near the middle; filaments and staminodia emarginate.—Flill 
country. 

9. B. capitata Benth. Blue Dicks. Scape 1.6 to 3.3 dm. high; 
flowers blue, 7 to 8 in a head-like umbel, with about 4 dark purple or 
metallic bracts; perianth 1.4 cm. long, its lobes elliptic-ovate; stamens 











LILY FAMILY 


177 


with anthers 6; filaments opposite inner perianth-segments with 2 
lanceolate appendages extended beyond the anthers; outer filaments di¬ 
lated at base only, their anthers *4 size; appendages convergent, forming 
a crown over the anthers.—Hillsides. 

5. ALLIUM L. Onion 

Stems naked, from a tunicated bulb or corm, the linear leaves basal. 
Herbage with the characteristic odor and taste of onions. Flowers in a 
terminal umbel or head, subtended by 2 or 3 thin bracts. Perianth-seg¬ 
ments campanulate or spreading, equal. Stamens inserted on the base of 
the segments. Capsule often crested. Seeds 1 or 2 in each cell. (Ancient 
Latin name of garlic.) 

Leaves linear or grass-like, flat, not hollow. 

Filaments linear or filiform, entire. 

Plants with rootstocks and bulbs.1. A . hciemaiochiton. 

Plants with bulbs, without rootstocks. 

Outer perianth-segments only slightly wider than the inner; perianth 
commonly pink.2. A. serratum. 

Outer perianth-segments twice as wide as the inner; perianth rose- 
purple.3. A. peninsulare. 

Filaments broad, 3-cleft..4. A. sativum. 

Leaves terete and hollow....5. A. cepa. 

1. A. haematochiton Wats. Scape 1.6 to 2.8 dm. high; perianth- 
segments broadly ovate, acute, 6 to 8 mm. long; ovary white, truncate, 
with very short rounded or undulate dark red crests.—Dry hills and 
mountain slopes from San Luis Obispo Co. to San Diego Co. 

2. A. serratum Wats. Plants 2.8 dm. high; bulb-coats with a close 
horizontally serrate reticulation; perianth-segments broadly ovate-lanceo¬ 
late, 8 to 12 mm. long, the inner somewhat shorter than the outer and 
rarely serrulate; ovary and pod with wart-like crests at summit.—Open 
hills. 

3. A. peninsulare Lemmon. Habit and bulb-coats of A. serratum; 
perianth-segments deep red-purple, 10 to 14 mm. long, the outer 3 broadly 
ovate-lanceolate, twice the breadth and usually longer than the three 
inner; ovary crests central, very minute, narrowly 2-lobed.—Barren or 
openly wooded hills: cismontane S. Cal.; Sierra Nevada from Kern Co. 
to Placer Co.; inner South Coast Range. 

4. A. sativum L. Garden Garlic. Bulbs clustered, pointed; leaves 
keeled; flowers few, purple or replaced by bulblets.—Garden plant, native 
of Eur. This is the species of which some nationalities are over-fond; 
at any rate it gives a distinctive odor to the neighborhood of their 
persons. 

5. A. cepa L. Common Onion. Bulb large, depressed; scape in¬ 
flated, hollow, much exceeding the leaves; flowers white, often replaced 
by bulblets.—Garden plant, native of Persia. Of this vegetable some 
persons are so extremely fond that they will risk the allegiance of friends 
in its behalf. 

<6. MUILLA Wats. 

Like Allium, but without the taste or odor of onions. Corm fibrous- 
coated. Leaves very narrow, almost terete. Bracts 4 to 6, lanceolate. 







178 


LTLIACEAE 


Perianth greenish or yellowish white, nearly rotate. Capsule globose, 
seeds several in each cell. (Anagram of Allium.) 

1. M. maritima (Torr.) Wats. Plants 7 to 22 cm. high; perianth 
without glands, segments 4 to 6 mm. long.—Alkaline fields. 

2. M. serotina Greene. Taller, 3.3 to 4.8 dm. high; leaves fewer; 
perianth with very broad green veins to the segments, the inner seg¬ 
ments with pit-like glands.—Half-open foothills; upper San Joaquin Val¬ 
ley; mountains of or towards the interior of S. Cal. 

7. CALOCHORTUS Pursh 

Stems from membranous-coated conns, the basal leaves few, long and 
narrow, the upper leaves small or none. Flowers very showy. Sepals 
greenish or colored, mostly lanceolate. Petals showy, mostly cuneate, 
obovate or fan-shaped, usually with a conspicuous gland or pit near the 
base. Capsule 3-angled or -winged. (Greek kalos, beautiful, and chor- 
tos, grass, in allusion to the flowers and grass-like leaves.) 

Perianth globose or with inarched petals; flowers nodding; petals incurved or 
strongly arched ; gland transversely crested or hairy ; pod nodding, with 


acute or thin wings.—G lobe Tulips. 

Petals white to pale pink or rose, the margins entire.1. C. albus. 

Petals yellow, the margins fimbriate.2. C. pulchellus. 

Perianth campanulate. 

Flowers erect or ascending; pod nodding; stem low and flexuous.-— Star 
Tulips. 

Petals obovate, mostly acute, hairy all over.3. C. caemleus. 

Petals fan- or wedge-shaped, rounded, hairy only near the gland. 

Petals white.4. C. umbellatus. 

Petals lilac.5. C. uniflorus. 

Flowers erect, open campanulate; gland usually densely hairy; pod erect, 
narrow, with thick lobes ; sepals often hairy or spotted within.— 
Mariposa Lilies. 

Gland depressed in a pocket.6. C. weedii. 

Gland not depressed. 

Hairs of gland linear, entire. 

Flowers yellow; gland crescent-shaped.7. C. luteus. 

Flowers white; gland quadrate.8. C. venustus. 

Hairs of gland with swollen tips.9. C. splendens. 


1. C. albus Dough White Globe Tulip. Stems usually branching, 
2.8 to 5.7 dm. high, leafy; basal leaves long and narrow, 1.4 to 5.7 dm. 
long; flowers sub-globose; sepals ovate, acuminate, greenish-white; 
petals pure white, purplish at base, ovate-orbicular, 2.4 to 3 cm. long, 
with scattered silky hairs above the gland.—Wooded foothills. 

2. C. pulchellus Dough Golden Lantern. Habit of no. 1; flowers 
yellow; petals strongly inarched, hairy within; gland bordered with stiff 
hairs which cross each other, visible from the outside as a projecting 
knob.—Wooded hills. 

3. C. caeruleus (Kell.) Wats. var. maweanus Jepson. Pussy Ears. 
Stem usually branching, 7.2 to 24 cm. high, leaves exceeding the stem) 
sepals ovate-lanceolate; petals white or pale blue, lilac-dotted and lined, 
a little longer than the sepals, broadly obovate or roundish, 1.2 to 2 cm. 
long, the upper surface with white or bluish hairs; gland covered above 
with a narrow transverse scale, an area immediately above the scale 
densely hairy.—North Coast Ranges. 











LILY FAMILY 


179 


4. C. umbellatus Wood. Stems 7.2 to 24 cm. high; basal leaf ex¬ 
ceeding the inflorescence; sepals oblong, acuminate; petals white or 
slightly lilac-tinged, obovate or fan-shaped, 1.2 to 1.8 cm. long, with a 
hairy area on each side of the gland, otherwise naked; gland covered by 
an ascending appressed scale which is lightly fringed on its upper 
margin.—Low wooded hills about San Francisco Bay. 

5. C. uniflorus H. & A. Stem with 1 to several bulblets below 
ground; flowers 2 to 10, in 1 to 3 umbels; pedicels flexuous, 7 to 24 cm. 
long; petals broadly cuneate, somewhat truncate, 2 to 2.4 cm. long, naked 
except an area immediately above the gland which is sparingly hairy; 
glands shallow, with a triangular appressed scale.—Open wet fields, Coast 
Ranges. 

6. C. weedii Wood. Weed’s Mariposa. Stem 2.8 to 8.6 dm. high, 
usually branched ; basal, leaf 1, long; sepals narrowly ovate-lanceolate, 
often exceeding the petals; petals fan-shaped, deep yellow, 2.4 to 3.6 cm. 
long, covered with silky yellow hairs, each set in a brown dot; gland 
circular or oblong, densely matted with short hairs.—S. Cal. 

7. C. luteus Dougl. Yellow Mariposa. Stem stiffy erect, bulblet- 
bearing at base, 1.6 to 2.4 dm. high; basal leaves usually 2; sepals nar¬ 
rowly ovate-lanceolate, yellowish within; petals yellow or orange, fan¬ 
shaped, as long as broad, with or usually without a central brown blotch 
or “eye”, slightly hairy below; gland crescent-shaped, densely hairy with 
ascending matted yellow hairs.—Dry hills, mid. Cal. 

8. C. venustus Dougl. White Mariposa Lily. Habit of no. 7; 
petals broadly fan-shaped, with long scattered hairs below the middle, 
2.4 to 3 cm. long, white, cream-color, lilac, purple, red, or pink, with a 
central “eye-spot”, in some forms with a red blotch above the eye ; gland 
quadratish or longitudinally oblong, densely matted with hairs.—Mostly 
in the foothills. 

9. C. splendens Dougl. Lilac Mariposa.. Petals lilac-purple, hairy 
on lower third, without eye-spot; gland small, round and densely hairy.— 
Mt. Diablo to San Diego. 

8. FRITILLARIA L. 

Stems simple. Bulb with thick scales. Leaves often in whorls. 
Flowers in racemes, rarely solitary. Perianth campanulate, the seg¬ 
ments distinct, each with a shallow nectary near the base. (Latin fritil- 
lus, a dice-box, cn account of the shape of the flower.) 

Stems leafy only on lower half, the larger leaves mostly basal. 


Flowers dull white.1. F. lihacea. 

Flowers dark brownish or greenish-purple.2. F. biflora. 

Stems leafy above, the lower half or third naked. 

Flowers scarlet; style cleft % to % its length.3. F. recurva. 

Flowers -brownish-purple ; style cleft to below the middle.4. F. lanceolata. 


1. F. liliacea Lindl. White Fritillary. Stems 7.2 to 14.4 cm. high, 
1 to 3-flowered; basal leaves oblong, upper narrower; flowers 1.2 to 1.8 
cm. long.—Bleak hilltops about San Francisco Bay. 

2. F^ biflora Lindl. Mission Bells. Stems stout, 1.4 to 4.3 dm. 
high, 1 to 3-flowered; leaves borne near the base, oblong; perianth 1.8 to 
2.4 cm. long.—Near the coast, San Luis Obispo to San Diego. 






180 


LILIACEAE 


3. F. recurva Benth. Scarlet Fritillary. Stem 2.8 dm. high or 
more; leaves linear-lanceolate, mostly in 2 whorls near the middle of 
the stem; flowers scarlet, spotted with yellow, obtuse at base.—N. Cal. 
Var. coccinea Greene. Tips of segments generally not recurved, flowers 
acute at base.—Napa Co. to Mendocino Co. 

4. F. lanceolata Pursh. Checker Lily. Perianth dark purple, mot¬ 
tled with greenish-yellow, 2.4 to 3.6 cm. long, the segments concave with 
entire margins.—Near the coast. Var. floribunda Benth. Perianth con¬ 
spicuously mottled, the segments with crisped margins.-—Shady Coast 
Range woods. 

9. LILIUM L. Lily 

Stems simple, tall, leafy, from a scaly bulb or scaly rootstock. Leaves 
narrow, sessile. Flowers large and showy, in a terminal raceme. 
Perianth funnelform, its segments 6. Stamens 6. Capsule loculicidal. 
(Greek lilium, the classical name.) 

1. L. pardalinum Kell. Tiger-Lily. Stems 1 to 2 m. high; perianth 

4.8 to 7.2 cm. long, bright orange-red with large purple spots on lower 
half.—Stream banks and moist springy spots in the mountains. 

10. TRILLIUM L. Wake Robin 

Stem from a tuberous rootstock, simple, naked below, bearing a whorl 
of 3 leaves and a single large flower. Leaves round-ovate, netted-veined. 
Perianth withering-persistent, consisting of 3 green lanceolate sepals 
and 3 larger colored petals. Fruit a fleshy capsule. (Latin triplum, 
triple, on account of the 3-merous flowers.) 

1. T. sessile L. var. giganteum H. & A. Common Trillium. Stem 
stout, 2.8 to 5 dm. high; leaves sessile; flowers sessile; .petals rose-red, 
white or greenish.—Woods, Coast Ranges and Sierra Nevada. 

2. T. ovatum Pursh. Coast Trillium. Plants 1.9 to 2.4 dm. high; 
leaves on short petioles ; flowers on peduncles 2.4 to 7.2 cm. long ; petals 
white, becoming rose-red in age.—Woods near the coast. 

11. YUCCA L. Spanish Bayonet 

Trees or shrubs. Leaves linear-lanceolate, rigid, sharp-pointed. 
Flowers in terminal panicles, the perianth-segments 6, distinct. Sta¬ 
mens 6. Fruit a capsule. (An Indian name for the Manihot.) 

1. Y. whipplei Torr. Quixote Plant. Flowering stem 2.5 to 4 m. 
high; leaves in a rosette on the ground; flowers creamy-white, 3 to 3.6 
cm. long; style slender with capitate stigma.—Chaparral slopes, S. Cal. 
and n. in South Coast Ranges and s. Sierra Nevada. 

12. SMILACINA Desf. False Solomon’s Seal 

Stem simple and leafy, from rootstocks, the small white flowers in a 
terminal cluster. Leaves sessile and clasping, many-nerved. Perianth 
persistent. Filaments subulate. Ovary ovate. Style short and thick, 
3-lobed at the summit. Fruit a globose 1 to 5-seeded berry. (Latin 
smilacina, diminutive of smilax.) 

1. S. stellata (L.) Desf. Star-flower. Stem usually flexuous above, 

2.8 to 5.7 dm. high; leaves lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate; flowers in a 
simple raceme; perianth-segments twice as long as the stamens; berry 


AMARYLLIDACEAE 


181 


at first with 3 or 5 dark brown longitudinal stripes, later red-purple.— 
Shady woods. (S. sessilifolia Nutt.) 

2. S. amplexicaulis Nutt. Fat Solomon. Stem 2.8 to 8.6 dm. high; 
leaves oblong-ovate to lanceolate; flowers in a panicle; perianth-segments 
much shorter than the broad filaments; berry light red.—Shady woods. 

13. DISPORUM Salisb. 

Stem from a rootstock, branched above and leafy. Leaves ovate, ses¬ 
sile, transversely veined between the primary nerves. Flowers greenish 
or white, campanulate, solitary or few in a terminal cluster, hanging 
under the leaves. Fruit a berry. (Greek dis, double, and spora, seed, 
some species with 2 ovules in each cell.) 

1. D. hookeri (Torr.) Britt. Fairy Bells. Plants 2.8 to 7 dm. 
high ; herbage roughish-pubescent; leaves mostly cordate at base; perianth 
greenish, 1.2 cm. long, the tips of the segments spreading: stamens 
equaling or exceeding perianth; style glabrous, entire; berry scarlet.— 
Shady woods near the coast. 

2. D. smithii (Hook.) Piper. Fairy Lantern. Plants 2.8 to 8.6 dm. 
high; leaves mostl)*' rounded or sub-cordate at base; perianth whitish, 
1.8 to 2.4 cm. long, the tips of the segments erect; stamen shorter than 
the perianth; style short-hairy, slightly 3-cleft; berry salmon-color.— 
Stream banks near the coast. 

14. ASPARAGUS L. 

Stem from a rootstock, branched and with filiform branchlets clustered 
in the axils of the scaly leaves. Flowers solitary or in umbels or ra¬ 
cemes. Perianth-segments alike; stamens inserted at their bases. Ovary 
3-celled with 2 ovules in each cell. Fruit a berry. (Ancient Greek 
name.) 

1. A. offininalis L. Asparagus. Stems 8.6 to 14 dm. high, when 
young stout, succulent and edible; clustered branchlets 8 to 16 mm. long; 
flowers green, pendulous; berry red.—Cult, from Eur. Extensively grown 
on delta lands in Cal. 

AMARYLLIDACEAE. AMARYLLIS FAMILY 

Herbs or shrubs unlike Liliaceae in habit but similar to them in char¬ 
acter save that the flower is epigynous.—Species about 650, chiefly natives 
of South Africa and South America. 

1. AGAVE L. Maguey 

Plants with a perennial rosette of fleshy leaves resting on the ground. 
Flowering stem arising after 10 to 40 years, depending upon situation, 
soil and moisture. (Greek agauos, noble.) 

1. A. americana L. Century Plant. Flowering stem 3 to 5 m. 
high.—Cult, from Mexico. Just before flowering a plant will yield 1 or 
2 "gallons a day of saccharine juice; from this is made pulque, the 
national intoxicant of Mexico. 

IRIDACEAE. IRIS FAMILY 

Low perennial herbs with stout stems from rootstocks and mostly 
basal 2-ranked sword-like and sheathing leaves. Flowers with petal-like 


182 


GRIDACEAE 


perianth in 2 whorls. Stamens 3, on the base of the outer whorl. Ovary 
inferior, 3-celled. Fruit a capsule.—About 1000 species of wide distri¬ 


bution in all continents. 

Stem terete; perianth-segments dissimilar.1. Iris. 

Stem flattened; perianth-segments alike...2. Sisyrinchium. 


1. IRIS L. Flag 

Stems terete. Flowers large, in the axils of spathe-like bracts. Perianth- 
tube more or less prolonged beyond the ovary; outer segments obovate, 
spreading or recurved; inner segments narrower, erect. Style divided into 
3 petal-like branches, each branch with 2 lobes or appendages at summit. 
Stigma a small projecting shelf on the outside just below the lobes. Sta¬ 
mens lying close beneath the style-branches. (Greek iris, the rainbow, 
the Greek species of the genus being celebrated for its brilliant colors.) 
Dying leaves grey or yellow-brown : perianth-tube 6 mm. long; capsule 5 cm. long.. 


1. 1. longipetala. 

Dying leaves red-brown. 

Leaves 6 mm. broad or less, not strongly ribbed.2. I. macrosiphon. 

Leaves 8 to 13 mm. broad, strongly ribbed.3. I. douglasiana. 


1. I. longipetala Herbert. Coast Iris. Plants forming something of 
a mat, with erect stems; flowers 3 to 5 in a cluster, pale violet or the 
outer segments white and purple-veined ; pedicels 1.8 to 4.2 cm. long.— 
Open ground, San Francisco to Monterey. 

2. I. macrosiphon Torr. Ground Iris. Stems low, rising from the 
matted base; flowers 1 or 2 in a cluster, violet, very shortly pediceled; 
perianth-tube 3.6 to 4.8 cm. long.—San Mateo Co. and n. near the coast. 

3. I. douglasiana Herbert. Mountain Iris. Stems 3.6 to 5.7 dm. 
high; flowers 2 or 3 in a cluster, cream-color or bluish; pedicels about 
2.4 cm. long; perianth-tube 1.2 to 2.4 cm. long.—Brushy slopes, Coast 
Ranges, especially n. 

2. SISYRINCHIUM L. 

Stems slender, flattened and more or less winged, with grass-like 
leaves. Flowers small, in umbels, subtended by 2 sheathing bracts and 
with a scarious bractlet subtending each pedicel. Perianth-divisions 
alike, spreading. Stamens monadelphous. (Name of Theophrastus for 
a bulbous plant allied to Iris.) 

Flowers blue; filaments united to the top ; style entire, stigmas short. 

. 1. 5". helium. 

Flowers yellow; filaments united only at base ; style deeply cleft... 

2. S. californicum. 

1. S. bellum Wats. Blue-eyed Grass. Nigger-babies. Stems some¬ 
what branching, 2.4 to 5 dm. high; bracts inclosing about 7 flowers; 
perianth-segments oblong-obovate, 4 to 6 nerved, emarginate, with a 
slender tooth in the notch, 14 mm. long.—Open moist ground. 

2. S. calif ornicum (Ker.) Dry. Golden-eyed Grass. Stems un¬ 
branched, 1 to 3 dm. high; flowers 3 to 7 in a cluster.—San Diego to Ore. 

JUNCACEAE. RUSH FAMILY 

Annual or perennial herbs. Stems simple, terete, or compressed and 
2-edged. Leaves alternate, sheathing, narrow, flat or terete. Flowers 
lily-like in structure, sedge-like in aspect, small, dry, perfect, disposed 








JUNCACEAE 


183 


in terminal or sometimes apparently lateral heads, spikes, corymbs or 
panicles. Perianth with 6 distinct similar glume-like segments. Stamens 
6 or sometimes 3. Ovary superior. 3 or sometimes 1-celled; stigmas 3, 
filiform; ovules 3 to many. Fruit a loculicidally 3-valved capsule. Em¬ 
bryo minute, inclosed in fleshy endosperm.—Species about 300, widely dis¬ 
persed over the earth but mostly in temperate and cold regions. 

1. JUNCUS L. Rush 

Plants of swamps or wet places; herbage glabrous. Stems simple, with 
spongy pith or sometimes hollow, leafy, or naked and scape-like. Flowers 
greenish or brownish. (Classical name for the rush, perhaps from 
Latin jungo, to join, the stems used for binding.) 

Inflorescence apparently lateral; involucral bract erect, appearing like a continuous 
prolongation of the stem; sheaths bladeless. 

Perianth greenish or dark, the segments scarious-margined; capsule oblong- 

ovate; common, widely distributed.1. J. balticus. 

Perianth pale brown, the segments not scarious-margined. 

Stamens 6; capsule broadly subglobose, obtuse, apiculate....2. J. patens* 

Stamens 3 ; capsule narrow, clavate, obovate, obtuse or retuse. 

3. /. effusus. 

Inflorescence terminal; involucral bract not a continuation of the stem (or if so, 
conspicuously channeled along the upper side). 

Low dwarf annuals with fibrous roots; perianth-segments greenish with 

white scarious margins ; capsule oblong.......4. J. bufonius , 

Tall perennials; rootstocks mostly stout and creeping; perianth-segments light 
reddish-brown; capsule abruptly acuminate.5. J. xiphioides. 


1. J. balticus Willd. Wire Rush. Plants caespitose, grass-like, 2.8 
to 10 dm. high; stems terete or sometimes compressed; panicle lax, 
many-flowered; capsule equalling or shorter than the perianth.—Widely 
spread throughout Cal. 

2. J. patens Mey. Common Rush. Stems slender, densely tufted, 
4.3 to 8.6 dm. high, terete; panicle lax, many-flowered; perianth-seg¬ 
ments spreading in fruit; capsule slightly angled, a little shorter than 
the perianth.—Common in marshy or 
springy ground. This species also grows 
in Europe. The Latin sailors used this 
or a similar species, which they in the 
vernacular of their tongue called j uncus, 
for making cordage. As the term mi¬ 
grated westward it became junc or junk, 
sailors applying it to their rations of 
meat on account of its toughness. It is 
interesting that gardeners in California 
who are natives of Italy gather the stems 
of this and allied species and cure them 
for tying up bunches of vegetables for 
the market. 

3. J. effusus L. Bog Rush. Fig. 9. 

Similar in habit to no. 2 but perianth-seg¬ 
ments smaller and not so spreading; cap¬ 
sule triangular, equaling the perianth.— 

Common in springy spots, hillside bogs or valley flats. 



Fig. 9. Juncus effusus L.; a, 
infl. x % ; b, perianth and cap¬ 
sule x 9. 










184 


CYPERACEAE 


4. J. bufonius L. Toad Rush. Stems commonly 2.4 to 14.4 cm. high, 
terete, branching from the base, leafy; leaves narrow, usually revolute 
and bristle-form; inflorescence a dichotomous cyme; flowers remote to 
subcapitate; perianth-segments exceeding the capsule.—Common in wet 
places or the beds of dried up pools. 

5. J. xiphioides E. Mey. Stems flattened, 2-edged, 4.3 to 8.6 dm. 

high; leaves equitant; more or less obviously septate; heads 6 to 11- 

flowered, more or less congested; capsule equalling or exceeding the 
perianth.—Coastal region, salt marshes and moist lands. 

CYPERACEAE. SEDGE FAMILY 

Grass-like or rush-like herbs with fibrous roots, annuals, or many 
species.perennial by long rootstocks. Stems solid (rarely hollow), usually 
triangular or terete, commonly scape-like with mostly basal leaves. 
Leaves alternate, narrow, with closed sheaths, often 3-ranked. Flowers 
one in the axil of each bract (scale), borne in spikelets or spikes which 
are arranged in clusters, racemes, panicles or umbels. Perianth none or 
represented by usually 4 to 6 bristles. Stamens 1 to 3. Pistil 1; ovary 

1-celled with 1 ovule, the single style with 2 or 3 stigmas. Fruit a 

lenticular or 3-angled achene. Embryo minute, in mealy endosperm.—A 
large family of 3000 species widety distributed over the earth, chiefly in 
marshes, of little economic importance. The foliage is useless for fodder 
since it contains so much silica. The vast libraries of the ancients were 
largely written on paper made from Cyperus papyrus L., a plant which 
also served to conceal little Moses in the bulrushes. 

Flowers, all or at least some of them, perfect. 

Spikelets flattened, the scales in 2 opposite ranks; inflorescence terminal, 
involucrate ; flowers without bristles.1. Cyperus. 

Spikelets cylindrical or sometimes a little flattened; perianth-bristles com¬ 
monly 1 to 8.2. Scirpus. 

Flowers unisexual; achene enclosed in a sac or spathe.3. Carex. 

1. CYPERUS L. Galingale 

Stems triangular or terete, never branched, leafy at base. Inflores¬ 
cence substended by a conspicuous leafy involucre, umbellate with un¬ 
equal rays and a sessile central spike, or capitate. Flowers in flattened 
or subterete spikelets, the spikelets in capitate clusters or arranged in 
spikes borne on the rays. Scales concave, more or less carinate, 2-ranked. 
(Greek Kupeiros, the ancient name.) 

1. C. virens Michx. Stems 2.8 to 8.6 dm. high; involucral bracts 4 to 
6, very long and leafy, much exceeding the inflorescence; umbel com¬ 
pound, or the spikelets capitate on the rays, or the whole reduced and 
subcapitate; spikelets long-oblong, numerous, crowded; scales more or 
less spreading, greenish or yellowish.—Valley flats and plains in 
moist spots. 

2. C. rotundus L. Nut-grass. Stems 1.4 to 2.8 dm. high; rootstock 
bearing tubers; involucral bracts 3 to 5, leafy, the longer ones equalling 
or little exceeding the inflorescence; umbel compound or nearly simple; 
spikelets linear, few, loosely clustered on the ends of the unequal rays; 





SEDGE FAMILY 


185 


scales closely, appressed, dark purple-brown or with green margins and 
center.—A weed in cult, lands or orchards; introd. from trop. Am. 

2. SCIRPUS L. Club-Rush. Bulrush 
Perennials or annuals. Stems leafy or the leaves reduced to mere 
sheaths at base. Spikelets terete or somewhat flattened, solitary or in 
heads, spikes or umbels, subtended by an involucre of 1 to several leaves 
or the involucre wanting. Perianth-bristles 1 to 6, barbed or ciliate or 
smooth, or none. Stamens 2 or 3. Style 2 or 3-cleft, not swollen at the 
base, deciduous or its base persistent on the achene. Achene triangular, 
lenticular or plano-convex. (Latin scirpus, bulrush.) 


Stems terete or nearly so. 

Bristles barbed; umbels capitate or of a few short rays.1. 5. acutus. 

Bristles plumose; umbels long-rayed.2. S. calif ornicus. 

Stems 3-angled. 


Stems with a single head or compact umbel, leafy below or the leaves mainly 
basal; bristles 2 to 6. 

Involucral bract solitary; spikelets densely capitate-clustered, the inflores¬ 
cence apparently lateral; stems very slender, leafy below, scales 
awned-tipped.3. S. americanus. 

Involucral leaves several, foliaceous ; inflorescence terminal, the spikelets 

capitate or in an umbel with unequal mostly short rays. 

4. S. campestris. 

Stems bearing a panicle of irregular umbels, leafy to the top; pedicels or 
raylets erect or spreading, bearing few to several sessile spikelets; 
bristles 4.i.....5. S. microcarpus. 


1. S. acutus M u h 1 . 
Common Tule. Fig. 10. 
Stems arising from stout 
creeping rootstocks, te¬ 
rete or very obtusely 
trigonous above, 8.6 to 
25.9 dm. high, leafless; 
inflorescence as if lat¬ 
eral, 2.4 to 12 cm. long; 
involucral bract stout, 
shorter than the inflor¬ 
escence ; spikelets 6 to 12 
mm. long, numerous, 
congested-capitate, or in 
an irregular umbel with 
unequal rays; bristles 6, 
slender, retrorsely bar- 
bellate; style 2-cleft; 
achene lenticular.—Salt 
and freshwater marshes 
and borders of lakes and 



Scirpus acutus Muhl.; a, panicle of spike¬ 
lets x 1 ; b, scale x 4 ; c, achene x 4 ; d, achene 
and bristles x 7. 


streams, very common. It is our estimate that originally there were in 
California about 250,000 acres of tule lands; much of this area has now 
been reclaimed to cultivation. Tule stems were used by the native tribes 
to build their balsas or small boats and to weave mats. At the present 
day the stems are used for packing nursery stock for shipment, thatching 
hay-stacks, and as a source of potash. 









186 


GRAMINEAE 


2. S. californicus Britt. California Bulrush. Similar to no. 1 ; 
umbel irregular, looser, its rays more slender, up to 9.6 cni. long; spike- 
lets dark reddish-brown, cylindric or narrow-ovate, (6 or) 8 to 10 mm. 
long; bristles 2, 3 or 4. ribbon-shaped, dark red, conspicuously short- 
hairy or somewhat plumose.—Marshes throughout Cal. 

3. S. americanus Pers. Three Square. Stems 2.2 to 5.7 dm. high, 
very slender, triangular, somewhat leafy; leaves short, the blade 2.4 to 
7.2 or 18 cm. long; involucral bract solitary, pungent, 2.4 to 9.6 cm. long; 
spikelets 1 to 6, oblong-ovate, 6 to 14 mm. long, borne in a single crowded 
sessile cluster; achene flat on one face, convex on the other.—Marshy 
often brackish places, occasional throughout Cal. 

4. S. campestris Britt. Bull Tule. Stems 2.8 to 8.6 dm. high, stout, 
acutely triangular, the point of junction with the slender rootstock often 
enlarged into hard woody tubers; leaves equaling or exceeding the stem, 
keeled, flat or deeply channeled, 4 to 8 mm. wide; involucre of few 
unequal spreading foliaceous bracts 7.2 to 31 cm. long, one much the 
longer and more erect; inflorescence terminal, the spikelets in clusters of 
1 to 3, the clusters congested-capitate or commonly somewhat umbel¬ 
late with unequal rays; rays 6 to 36 mm. long; spikelets ovate or oblong- 
ovate, acute, 1.2 to 2 cm. long; achene round-obovate, sublenticular, dark 
brown, shining.—Salt marshes and moist alkaline soils. 

5. S. microcarpus Presl. Panicled Bulrush. Stems from stout 
creeping rootstocks, stout, triangular, leafy, 5.7 to 14.4 dm. high; leaves 
flat, 8 to 16 mm. wide; margins scabrid; involucre of several spreading 
foliaceous bracts, about 1 to 2 times as long as the inflorescence; spikelets 
1 to 5 in terminal and axillary clusters, the clusters in an umbellate 
compound panicle; panicle large and open; spikelets narrow-ovate, green¬ 
ish or lead-colored, 2 to 5 mm. long; bristles 4, barbed to the base; achene 
plano-convex.—Common along streams and in fresh-water marshes. 

3. CAREX L. Sedge 

Grass-like sedges, perennial by rootstocks. Stems mostly triangular. 
Leaves 3-ranked, the upper (bracts) elongate or short, and subtending 
the spikes of flowers or wanting. Flowers monoecious or sometimes 
dioecious. Spikes 1 to many, either wholly pistillate, wholly staminate or 
bisexual, sessile or peduncled. Perianth none. Stamens 3 (or rarely 2). 
Achene 3-angled, lenticular or plano-convex, completely enclosed by the 
sac-like perigynium. (The Latin name.)—The species in California 
number 126. They are too difficult for the beginner. (See Jepson, Flora 
of California, or Mackenzie, Monograph of the Genus Carex in Cali¬ 
fornia). 

GRAMINEAE. GRASS FAMILY* 

Herbs, commonly with hollow stems closed at the nodes. Leaves par¬ 
allel-veined, consisting of the sheath and the linear blade, with a mem¬ 
branous appendage (the ligule) at the summit of the sheath. Flowers 


*By A. S. Hitchcock and Agnes Chase, United States Bureau of Plant 
Industry; very much abbreviated and condensed from their account in Jepson’s 
Manual, with additions of the common crop plants and economic notes by W. L. 
Jepson. 



GRASS FAMILY 


187 


minute, usually perfect, arranged in spikelets consisting of a shortened 
axis (rachilla) bearing bracts, the lowest pair of bracts (glumes) empty, 
each succeeding bract (lemma) including a single flower and a 2-nerved 
bract (palea), the flower, lemma and palea together termed the floret. 
Spikelets arranged in panicles, racemes or spikes. Perianth none or 
represented by minute scales or lodicules. Stamens usually 3. Pistil 1, 
superior. Ovary 1-celled, 1-ovuled; styles and plumose stigmas 2. Fruit 
a grain enclosed in the lemma and palea. 

See figs. 11 and 12. Figure 11 shows a diagram of a grass spikelet. 
Figure 12 illustrates Wild Oat, Avena fatua L.. showing a panicle of 
flowers (a)*, a spikelet (b) and a 
flower (h). The spikelet consists of a 
lower or first glume (c) and upper or 
second glume (d) with 3 florets, each 
one of the florets showing its lemma 
(as at e) bearing an awn (as at f). 

The rachilla of the spikelet ends in a 
sterile point (g). The figure at (h) 
shows a single floret with the lemma 
removed, exposing the flower backed 
by its palea (i). Two lodicules (j) 
appear at base of the flower, which 
bears 3 stamens (k) and one ovary 
(1) with two stigmas (m). 

The Grass Family, consisting of 
5000 species, is the fourth largest 
family of seed plants. It is widely 
distributed in all parts of the earth 
from tropical savannahs, temperate 
plains and desert steppes to the arctic 
zones, and reaches in mountains the 
limits of phaenogamic vegetation. 

While not so rich in species as either 
Orchidaceae, Compositae or Legum- 
inosae, the Grass Family far sur¬ 
passes these and all other families in 
point of number of individuals, as well as in economic importance. 

Probably the grain of wild wheat was the first grass to be gathered for 
food by some wandering tribe of Mesopotamia or Palestine in prehistoric 
times. Its gathering from wild plants or from plants the result of ac¬ 
cidental sowing, led to its regular cultivation, the most important dis¬ 
covery, after the discovery of fire, made by the earliest of our primitive 
ancestors. Wheat, in particular, furnishes a food which can be stored 
for long periods without deterioration and which contains all the ingredi¬ 
ents necessary to maintain life indefinitely. The finding of wheat was a 
most important step in the emergence of man from a savage state; its 
use opened the way to the development of a settled life, to husbandry and 
the arts of civilization. (Cf. “A Grain of Wheat,” Pop. Science, Mo. 
82:33-45.) 





188 


GRAMINEAE 



Fig. 12. Avena Fatua L. Wild Oat. See p. 187 and p. 201. 





























GRASS FAMILY 


189 


Some of the most famous plants in the family, in addition to those 
described in the following pages are: Bamboo (Bambusa vulgaris 
Wendl.), becoming in China and Japan a timber tree; Sugar Cane (Sac- 
charum officinarum L.), which is sugar-producing; Esparto (Stipa 
tenacissima L. and Lygeum spartum L.), used in paper-making; Galleta 
(Hilaria rigida Benth.), a remarkable forage plant of the Mohave 
Desert; and Sleepy Grass (Stipa vaseyi Scribn.) of New Mexico, which 
has narcotic qualities. 

Subfamily 1. Poatae 

Spikelets 1 to many-flowered, the reduced florets, if any, above the per¬ 
fect florets (except in Phalarideae) ; articulation usually above the 
glumes; spikelets usually more or less laterally compressed. 

Spikelets without sterile lemmas below the perfect floret (or these rarely present 
and like the fertile ones). 

Spikelets pedicellate in open or contracted, sometimes spike-like panicles. 
Spikelets 2 to many-flowered. 

Glumes shorter than the first floret (except in Dissanthelium with 
long rachilla joints) ; lemmas awnless or awned from the 
tip or from a bifid apex.— Festuceae (Fescue Tribe). 

Tall stout reeds (3 to 6 m. high), with large plume-like panicles; 


spikelets several-flowered. 

Lemmas hairy; rachilla naked. 7. Arundo. 

Lemmas naked; rachilla hairy.8. Phragmites. 


Low or rather tall grasses (1 dm. to 1.5 dm. high). 

Plants dioecious, erect from creeping rhizomes, perennial; 

spikelets in a narrow simple exserted panicle. 

6. Distichlis. 

Plants not dioecious. 

Spikelets of 2 forms, sterile and fertile intermixed; 

panicle dense, somewhat one-sided. 

10. Lamarckia. 

Spikelets all alike in the same inflorescence. 

Lemmas strongly 3-nerved, longer than the glumes.. 

5. Eragrostis. 

Lemmas 5 to many-nerved, the nerves sometimes 
obscure. 

Lemmas as broad as long, the margins out¬ 
spread ; florets closely imbricate, hori¬ 
zontally spreading. 4. Briza. 

Lemmas longer than broad, the margins clasp¬ 
ing the palea; florets not horizontally 
spreading. 

Glumes not papery. 

Spikelets strongly compressed, crowded 
in 1-sided clusters at the ends 
of the stiff naked panicle 

branches.9. Dactylis. 

Spikelets not strongly compressed, not 
crowded in 1-sided clusters. 
Lemmas minutely bifid at 
apex, with an awn in the 
notch or rarely awnless, 
convex or keeled on the 

back ; spikelets large. 

1. Bromus. 
Lemmas not notched at apex (or 
very rarely). 









90 


GRAMINEAE 


Lemmas somewhat keeled, 
a w n 1 e s s ; spike- 
lets small.3. Poa. 

Lemmas rounded on the back, 
a w n e d ; spikelets 

medium .,. 

2. Festuca. 

Glumes papery; lemmas firm, strongly 
nerved, scarious-margined ; upper 
florets sterile, often reduced to a 
club-shaped rudiment enfolded 
by the broad upper lemmas: 
spikelets tawny or purplish, 

usually not green.11. Melica. 

Glumes as long as the lowest floret, usually as long as the spikelet; 

spikelets large, the glumes over 1 cm. long; lemmas awned 

from the back.—A veneae (Oat Tribe).19. Avena. 

Spikelets 1-flowered—A grostideae (Timothy Tribe). 

Rachilla articulate above the glumes, these persistent after the fall 
of the florets. 

Awns straight or none. 

Glumes not compressed-carinate, not ciliate. 

Panicle dense, spike-like; lemma and palea chartaceous ; 

florets bearing a tuft of hairs at base from the 

callus.20. Ammophila. 

Panicle open or contracted ; lemma and palea not chart¬ 
aceous ; florets without hairs at base or with 

short hairs.21. Agrostis. 

Glumes compressed-carinate, abruptly mucronate, stiffly cili¬ 
ate on the keels; panicle dense, cylindric or ellip¬ 
soid....22. Phleum. 

Awns twisted and bent, several to many times longer than the 

slender fruit.23. Stipa. 

Rachilla articulate below the glumes, the spikelets falling entire; 

panicle contracted or spike-like ; glumes long-awned. 

24. POLYPOGON. 

Spikelets sessile on a usually continuous rachis (short-pedicellate in Leptoch- 
loa; the rachis disarticulating in Hordeum, Sitanion, and a few 
species of allied genera). 

Spikelets on opposite sides of the rachis; spike terminal, single.—Hordeae 
(Barley Tribe). 

Spikelets solitary at each node of the rachis (rarely 2 in species of 
Agropyron but never throughout the spike), 2 to several 
flowered. 

Spikelets placed edgewise to the rachis ; first glume wanting ex¬ 
cept in the terminal spikelet.12. Lolium. 

Spikelets placed flatwise to the rachis; glumes in pairs. 

Plants perennial..13. Agropyron. 

Plants annual. 

Glumes ovate, 3-nerved.14. Triticum. 

Glumes subulate, 1-nerved...15. Secale. 

Spikelets more than one at each node of the rachis. 

Spikelets 3 at each node of the rachis, 1-flowered, the lateral 

pair pediceled, usually reduced to awns. 

16. Hordeum. 

Spikelets 2 at each node of the rachis, alike, 2 to 6-flowered. 

Rachis continuous; glumes broad or narrow, entire. 

17. Elymus. 

Rachis disarticulating at maturity ; glumes subulate, extend¬ 
ing into long awns, these and the awns of the 

lemma making the spike very bristly. 

18. Sitanion. 


















GRASS FAMILY 


191 


Spikelets on one side of the rachis; spikes usually more than 1, digitate 
or racemose.— Chlorideae (Grama Tribe). 

Spikes digitate ; rachilla a'rticulate above the glumes. ...25. Cynodon. 
Spikes racemose, erect or nearly so ; rachilla articulate below the 

glumes, the spikelets falling entire. 26. Spartina. 

Spikelets with 2 staminate, neuter, or rudimentary lemmas unlike and below the 
fertile lemma; no sterile or rudimentary florets above.— Phalarideae 
(Canary Grass Tribe)...i.27. Phalaris. 

Subfamily 2. Panicatae 

Spikelets with one perfect terminal floret (disregarding those of the 
few monoecious genera and the staminate and neuter spikelets) and a 
sterile or staminate floret below, usually represented by a sterile lemma 
only, one glume sometimes (rarely both glumes) wanting; articulation 
below the spikelets, either in the pedicel, in the rachis, or at the base of 
a cluster of spikelets, the spikelets falling entire, singly, in groups, or 
together with joints of the rachis. 

Spikelets strongly laterally compressed; stamens 6.—Tribe Oryzeae (Rice Tribe) 

28. Oryza. 

Spikelets more or less dorsally compressed ; stamens 3. 

Spikelets all alike ; glumes and sterile lemma membranaceous, fertile lemma 
and palea indurate.— Paniceae (Millet Tribe). 

Spikelets pedicellate in open panicles; no ring-like callus at base of 

the spikelet. 29. Panicum. 

Spikelets subsessile in slender racemes; racemes paired or racemose; 

first glume and the rachilla-joint forming a swollen ring-like 

callus at the base of the spikelet.30. Echinochloa. 

Spikelets in pairs, one sessile and perfect, the other pedicellate and staminate 
or neuter (the pedicellate one sometimes obsolete, rarely both pedi¬ 
cellate) ; glumes firm, lemmas hyaline.— Andropogoneae (Sorghum 
Tribe). 

Inflorescences of one kind : flowers polygamous, in panicles....31. Holcus. 
Inflorescences unisexual, of two kinds, the staminate flowers in a ter¬ 
minal panicle, the pistillate flowers in a spike, borne in the leaf 
axils ...—.32. Zea. 


1. BROMUS L. Brome Grass 

Plants with closed sheaths, flat blades, and open or contracted panicles 
of large spikelets. Spikelets several to many-flowered. Glumes unequal, 
acute, the first 1 to 3-nerved, the second usually 3 to 5-nerved. Lemmas 
convex or keeled, 5 to 9-nerved, 2-toothed at the apex, awnless or usually 
awned from between the teeth. Palea usually shorter than the lemma. 
( Ancient Greek name for the oat.) * 

Plants annual; introduced weeds. 

Lemmas narrow, gradually acuminate, the awn as long as the body of the 


lemma or longer. 

Panicle drooping; pedicels capillary...1. B. tectorum. 

Panicle erect; pedicels stiff. 

Panicle compact; pedicels mostly less than 5 mm. long; culms pubes¬ 
cent at summit.2. B. rubens. 

Panicle relatively loose, some of the pedicels at least 10 mm. long ; 

culms glabrous.3. B. madntensis. 

Lemmas broad, abruptly narrowed above, the awn mostly shorter than the 

body.-... 4 - B • rtgidus. 

Panicle contracted, usually dense, erect or nearly so : lemmas pubescent, 

sheaths velvety...5. B. hordeaceus. 

Panicle loose, nodding or drooping. 












192 


GRAMINEAE 


Sheaths and lemmas glabrous; margin of lemma inrolled toward the 
base at maturity, the rachilla partly visible .. 6. B. secalimis. 
. Sheaths pubescent; margins of lemmas not inrolled or rarely. 

Panicles nodding, the branches and oedicels not elongated and 
flexuous ; awn usually not over % as long as the broad 
glabrous or scaberulous lemma.7. B. commutatus. 

Panicles dropping, the branches and pedicels flexuous; awns 
mostly as long as the body of the narrower lemma or 

longer...8. B. arenarius. 

Plants perennial; panicle open, the branches spreading or drooping. 

Spikelets strongly flattened, the lemmas strongly keeled toward the summit; 
spikelets awned; blades flat, glabrous or somewhat pilose. 

Awn less than 7 mm. long ; blades rather broad.9. B. marginatus. 

Awn more than 7 mm. long; blades usually narrow.10. B. carinatus. 

Spikelets not strongly flattened, the lemmas not keeled ; first glume 1-nerved ; 

lemmas sparsely pubescent on back, ciliate on margins or nearly 
glabrous...11. B. vulgaris. 

1. B. tectorum L. Downy Brome. Culms tufted, 3 to 6.5 dm. high, 
the whole plant softly pubescent; panicle many-flowered, loose, drooping, 
commonly % the entire height of the plant; spikelets 1.5 to 2 cm. long, 
nodding; lemmas pubescent; awn 1.2 to 1.5 cm. long.—Waste places; nat. 
from Mediterranean region. Var. nudus Klett & Richt. Spikelets gla¬ 
brous.—The common form in Cal. 

2. B. rubens I. Red Brome. Culms 1.5 to 3.8 dm. high, puberulent 
below the panicle: sheaths and blades pubescent; panicle erect, compact, 
ovoid, usually purplish, 4 to 8 cm. long; spikelets 7 to 11-flowered, about 
2 cm. long; lemmas 5-nerved, pubescent or smooth, 1.2 to 1.5 cm. long, 
the apex deeply cleft into 2 long-acuminate hyaline teeth ; awn about 
2 cm. long.—Dry hills and in waste or cultivated ground; common 
especially in middle and S. Cal.: nat. from s. Eur. 

3. B. madritensis L. Culms tufted, 3 to 6 dm. high; sheaths smooth 
or the lower slightly pubescent; blades puberulent or nearly smooth; 
panicle erect, 4 to 8 cm. long, oblong-ovoid in outline, contracted, rather 
dense; lemmas 1.5 to 1.8 cm. long, usually glabrous or scabrous only, 
somewhat curved outward when old, distinctly 3 or faintly 5 to 7-nerved, 
with 2 acute hyaline teeth; awn rather stout, tapering, somewhat curved, 
1.6 to 2.2 cm. long.—Open ground and waste places; nat. from Eur. 

4. B. rigidus Roth. “Ripgut” Grass. Culms 4.5 to 7.5 dm. high; 
sheaths and blades pilose; panicle open, rather few-flowered, 6 to 10 cm. 
long; spikelets usually 5 to 7-flowered, 3.5 to 5 cm. long; lemmas 5- 
nerved, scabrous or puberulent, 2-toothed; awn stout, 3.5 to 5 cm. long.— 
Weed in open ground and waste places, nat. from Mediterranean region. 
Var. gussonei (Pari.) Coss. & Dur. Differs in having a more open 
panicle, and longer flexuous branches and pedicels, the lower branches 
as much as 10 to 12 cm. long.—More common than the species in mid. 
and n. Cal.; nat. from s. Eur. At maturity nos. 2 to 4 are injurious to 
grazing animals; the disjointed sharp-pointed florets with their long 
rough awns penetrate the eyes, nose and mouth parts, causing sores and 
blindness. 

5. B. hordeaceus L. Soft Cheat. Culms 2 to 7.5 dm. high; sheaths 
retrorsely softly pilose; blades usually pubescent; panicle contracted, erect, 
5 to 10 cm. long, or in depauperate plants reduced to a few spikelets; 







GRASS FAMILY 


193 


glumes broad, obtuse, coarsely pilose or scabrous-pubescent, the first 
•3 to 5-nerved, the second 5 to 7-nerved; lemmas obtuse, 7-nerved, coarsely 
pilose or scabrous-pubescent, rather deeply bidentate, 8 to 9 mm. long, 
the margin and apex hyaline; awn rather stout, 6 to 9 mm. long.—Weed 
in open hillsides, waste places and cultivated soil, abundant; nat. from 
Eur. This aggressive alien is typical of the immigrant bromes. Within 
the last forty years it has crowded valuable native plants off the ranges. 
Though cattle eat it green, they will not touch it when it is dry. 

6. B. secalinus L. Cheat. Chess. Culms erect, 3 to 6 dm. high; 
sheaths smooth; panicle pyramidal, drooping, 8 to 15 cm. long, open, 
the lower branches 3 to 5, unequal ; spikelets ovoid-lanceolate, becoming 
somewhat turgid in fruit, 1.2 to 1.5 cm. long; glumes obtuse, the first 
3 to 5-nerved, the second 7-nerved; lemmas 7-nerved, 6 to 8 mm. long, 
elliptic, obtuse, smooth or scabrous, the margin strongly involute in fruit, 
apex shortly bidentate, the undulate awn usually 3 to 6 mm. long. In 
fruit the turgid florets are somewhat distant so that, viewing the spikelet 
sidewise, the light passes through the small openings at the base of each 
floret.—Weed in grain fields and waste places; nat. from Eur. 

7. B. commutatus Schrad. Resembling no. 6; sheaths retrorsely pubes¬ 
cent; blades commonly pubescent; lemmas with an obtuse angle on the 
margin just above the middle, the margin not as strongly inrolled in fruit 
as in no. 6, the awn straight and rather longer than in no. 6.—Weed in 
fields and waste places; nat. from Eur. 

8. B. arenarius Labill. Culms 1.5 to 4.5 dm. high; sheaths and blades 
pilose; panicle pyramidal, open, the spreading branches and slender pedi¬ 
cels sinuously curved; spikelets 1.5 to 1.8 cm. long, densely pilose; glumes 
acute, scarious-margined, the first narrower, 3-nerved, the second 7- 
nerved; lemmas 7-nerved, 2-toothed; awn 1 to 1.5 cm. long.—Sandy- 
roadsides, gravelly or sterile hills; cent, to S. Cal.; nat. from Austr. 

9. B. marginatus Nees. Short-lived perennial; culms rather stout, 
6 to 12 dm. high; sheaths pilose; blades broad, flat, more or less pilose; 
panicle erect, rather narrow, 10 to 20 cm. long, the lower branches some¬ 
what spreading; spikelets 7 or 8-flowered, 2.5 to 3.5 cm. long; glumes 
broad, scabrous, or scabrous-pubescent, the first subacute, 3 to 5-nerved, 
the second obtuse, 5 to 7-nerved; lemmas subcoriaceous, coarsely pubes¬ 
cent, ovate-lanceolate, acute, 12 to 14 mm. long; awn 4 to 7 mm. long.— 
Open ground, open woods, roadsides and waste places. 

10. B. carinatus H. & A. California Brome Grass. Culms 6 to 9 
dm. high; sheaths pilose; blades narrow, flat, more or less pilose; panicle 
pyramidal, rather lax, the lower branches spreading or drooping; spikelets 
about 2.5 cm. long, 6 mm. wide, 5 to 9-flowered; glumes lanceolate, acute, 
glabrous or slightly scabrous-pubescent, the first 3-nerved, the second 5- 
nerved; lemmas lanceolate, puberulent or short-pubescent, 12 to 16 mm. 
long; awn 7 to 10 mm. long.—Open ground, open woods, roadsides and 
waste places, throughout the state. Var. californicus Shear. Sheaths 
smooth; spikelets narrower than in the species.—Common in the Coast 
Ranges; infrequent in the Sierra Nevada and San Bernardino Mts. Var. 
hookerianus Shear. Sheaths smooth; spikelets as broad as in the 


194 


GRAMINEAE 


species.—Range about as in the last, less common. Var. linearis Shear. 
Sheaths pubescent; blades less than 2 mm. wide; panicle narrow, few- 
flowered.—Berkeley Hills; Mt. Lyell, above timber-line. 

11. B. vulgaris (Hook.) Shear. Culms 9 to 12 dm. high; nodes pubes¬ 
cent; sheaths pilose; blades scattered, more or less pilose; panicle open, 
10 to 18 cm. long, the branches slender, drooping; spikelets slender, about 
2.5 cm. long; glumes narrow, sparsely pubescent, the first 1-nerved, acute, 
the second 3-nerved, broader and longer than the first, obtuse or acutish; 
lemmas 8 to 10 mm. long, sparsely pubescent over back, pubescent or 
ciliate near the margins or nearly glabrous; awn 6 to 8 mm. long.— 
Rocky woods and shady ravines, 100 to 7000 ft. 

2. FESTUCA L. Fescue 

Annuals or perennials. Spikelets few to several-flowered. Glumes 
narrow, acute, unequal, the first sometimes very small. Lemmas rounded 
on the back, membranaceous or somewhat indurate, 5-nerved, the nerves 
often obscure, acute or rarely obtuse, awned from the tip or rarely from 
a minutely bifid apex. (Ancient name for some grass.) 

Plants annual; branches of the narrow panicle erect or appressed : spikelets loosely 
1 to 5-flowered; florets narrowly lanceolate; first glume 1-nerved, not 
more than as long as the second 3-nerved glume ; stamen usually 1 ; 
lemmas with narrow scarious margin. 

Lemma ciliate ... 1 . F. megalura. 

Lemma not ciliate.2. F. niyuros. 

Plants perennial; blades usually folded or involute, narrow or capillary; throat 

of sheath (collar) and auricles of blade tomentose or bristly. 

3. F. californica. 

1. F. megalura Nutt. Culms 2 to 6 dm. high; sheaths and blades 
smooth; panicle narrow, somewhat 1-sided, 8 to 20 cm. long; spikelets 4 
or 5-flowered; glumes glabrous, the first about half the length of the 
second; lemmas scabrous above, attenuate into an awn about twice its 
length.—Cultivated or open ground, sandy soil, and waste places. The 
cilia on the lemmas are sometimes hidden at maturity by the incurved 
edges. 

2. F. myuros L. Rat’s-tail Fescue. Similar to no. 1 but lemmas 
not ciliate.—Waste grounds; nat. from Eur. 

3. F. californica Vasey. California Fescue. Culms tufted, stout, 
coarse, usually 9 to 15 dm. high, scabrous ; sheaths somewhat scabrous, 
the collar and auricles pilose; blades flat or becoming involute, hard, firm, 
scabrous, the lower elongate; panicle large, usually loose and open, the 
few long slender branches naked below, bearing a few spikelets toward 
the ends; spikelets compressed, about 5-flowered, 10 to 18 mm. long; 
glumes oblong-lanceolate, firm, smooth, except the scabrous keel; lemmas 
8 to 10 mm. long, lanceolate, firm, scabrous, acuminate or short-awned.— 
Meadows, shady banks and wood borders; Coast Ranges from Monterey 
Co. to Siskiyou Co. Var. parishii (Piper) Hitchc. Plant more slender : 
culms about 4.5 to 6 dm. tall; sheaths puberulent; blades 1.5 to 2.5 dm. 
long, closely involute, smooth below or nearly so; panicle 10 to 12 cm. 
long; awn 3 to 4 mm. long.—San Bernardino Mts. 

3. POA L. Blue Grass 

Plants with open or contracted panicles, and narrow blades with boat- 






GRASS FAMILY 


195 


shaped tips. Spikelets 2 to several-flowered, the uppermost floret re¬ 
duced or rudimentary. Glumes acute, keeled, somewhat unequal, the 
first 1-nerved, the second usually 3-nerved. Lemmas somewhat keeled, 
acute or acutish, awnless, membranous, often somewhat scarious at the 
tip, 5-nerved. (Greek poa, grass or fodder.) 

Annual; lemmas not cottony at base, 5-nerved, the nerves pilose on lower half. 

1. P. annua. 

Perennial. 

Plants sod-forming, with creeping rhizomes; lemmas copiously cottony at 
base.......2. P. pratensis. 

Plants in bunches, without creeping rhizomes; lemmas not cottony at base. 

3. P. scabrella. 

1. P. annua L. In tufts or mats; culms flattened, 0.8 to 2 dm. long, 
decumbent at base, sometimes rooting at the lower nodes; blades soft; 
panicle 2.5 to 7 cm. long; spikelets crowded, 3 to 6-flowered, 3 to 4 mm. 
long.—Open ground, along roadsides and in waste places; nat. from Eur. 

2. P. pratensis L. Kentucky Blue Grass. Culms tufted, 3 to 9 dm. 
high, terete or slightly flattened; sheaths smooth, compressed; ligule 
about 2 mm. long; blades soft, flat or folded, the basal often elongate; 
panicle pyramidal, open, the slender branches in remote fascicles of 3 to 
5, ascending or spreading, naked at base, some of them short ; spikelets 
crowded, 3 to 5-flowered, 4 to 5 mm. long; lemmas 3 mm. long, copiously 
cottony at base, silky villous on keel and marginal nerves, the inter¬ 
mediate nerves prominent.—Open woods or open ground; extensively cult, 
as a pasture and lawn grass. 

3. P. scabrella (Thurb.) Benth. Malpais Blue Grass. Densely 
tufted; culms erect, 6 to 9 dm. high, usually scabrous, at least below 
panicle; sheaths scabrous; ligule 3 to 5 mm. long; blades mostly basal, 
flat, narrow, usually about 1 mm. wide, lax, more or less scabrous; 
panicle narrow, usually contracted, sometimes rather open at base, 5 to 
12 cm. long; spikelets narrow, 6 to 10 mm. long; glumes scabrous; 
lemmas 4 mm. long, puberulent or scabrous on back, and more or less 
crisp-pubescent on lower half.—Meadows, woods, rocks and hills, 
common. 

4. BRIZA L. Quaking Grass 

Ours low annuals with erect culms, flat blades, and open showy pan¬ 
icles, the pedicels capillary, the spikelets vibrating in the wind. Spikelets 
several-flowered, broad, often cordate, the florets crowded and spreading 
horizontally, the uppermost floret reduced. Glumes about equal, broad, 
papery-chartaceous, with scarious margins. Lemmas papery, broad, with 
scarious spreading margins, cordate at base. Palea much shorter than 
the lemma. (Ancient Greek name for some grain, probably rye.) 

1. B. minor L. Culms 1 to 3.8 dm. high; panicle pyramidal; spike¬ 
lets triangular-ovate, 3 mm. long.—Waste places, cent. Cal.; nat. from 
Eur. 

5. ERAGROSTIS Host 

Spikelets few to many-flowered, the florets usually closely imbricate, 
the lemmas often deciduous, the paleas persistent. Glumes somewhat 
unequal, shorter than the first lemma, acute or acuminate, 1-nerved, or the 
second rarely 3-nerved. Lemmas acute or acuminate, keeled or rounded 





196 


GRAMINEAE 


on the back, 3-nerved, the nerves usually prominent. (Eros, love, agros- 
tis, grass, from the common European name, “love-grass.”) 

1. E. cilianensis (All.) Link. -Stink Grass. Snake Grass. Annual; 
culms erect of ascending from a decumbent base, rather flaccid, freely 
branching, 2 to 6 dm. high; panicles greenish-lead-color, 1.3 to 3.8 dm. 
long, rather densely flowered; spikelets 6 to 12 mm. long, 10 to 40- 
flowered, the florets closely imbricate; lemmas thin, the lateral nerves 
prominent.—Fields, roadsides and waste places; nat. from Eur. Strong- 
scented when fresh. 

6. DISTICHLIS Raf. 

Low dioecious perennial with extensively creeping rhizomes, erect rigid 
culms and short dense rather few-flowered panicles. Spikelets several to 
many-flowered. Glumes unequal, broad, acute, keeled, mostly 3-nerved, 
the lateral nerves sometimes faint or obscured by striations and inter¬ 
mediate nerves. Lemmas closely imbricate, firm, the pistillate coriaceous, 
the margins bowed out near the base, acute or acutish, 3-nerved, with 
several intermediate nerves or striations. Palea as long as the lemma 
or shorter, the pistillate coriaceous, inclosing the grain. (Greek distichos, 
2-ranked.) 

1. D. spicata (L.) Greene. Salt Grass. Forming tough sod, glau¬ 
cous ; culms 1 to 6 dm. high; leaves numerous, stiff, often conspicuously 
distichous.—Salt marshes and alkaline soil at low altitudes, common. 

7. ARUNDO L. 

Tall perennial reeds with broad linear blades and large plume-like 
terminal panicles. Spikelets several-flowered, the florets successively 
smaller, the summits of all about equal, the rachilla glabrous. Glumes 
somewhat unequal, membranous, 3-nerved, narrow, tapering into a 
slender point, about as long as the spikelet. Lemmas thin, 3-nerved, 
densely long-pilose, gradually narrowed at the summit, thfe nerves ending 
in slender teeth, the middle one extending into a straight awn. (Ancient 
Latin name for reed.) 

1. A. donax L. Giant Reed. Culms stout, 2 to 6 m. high, from knotty 
branching rhizomes; blades 4 to 8 cm. wide on the main culm, the base 
cordate, more or less hairy-tufted.—Native of the Orient; escaped along 
irrigating ditches in cent, and S. Cal. 

8. PHRAGMITES Adans. 

Tall perennials with broad blades. Glumes 3-nerved, or the upper 5- 
nerved, lanceolate, the first about half as long as the upper. Lemmas nar¬ 
row, long-acuminate, 3-nerved. (Greek phragmites, growing in hedges.) 

1. P. communis L. Common Reed. Culms robust, 1.7 to 3.5 dm. 
high; spikelets about 12 mm. long.—Freshwater swamps, marshes and 
springs. 

9. DACTYLIS L. 

Perennials with flat blades and fascicled spikelets. Spikelets few- 
flowered, compressed, nearly sessile in dense one-sided fascicles, these 
borne at the ends of the few branches of a panicle. Glumes unequal, cari¬ 
nate, acute, hispid-ciliate on the keel. Lemmas compressed-keeled, mu- 
cronate, 5-nerved, ciliate on the keel. (Greek, daktulos, a finger.) 


GRASS FAMILY 


197 


1. D. glomerata L. Orchard Grass. Culms in large tussocks, erect, 
6 to 12 dm. high; blades broadly linear; panicle 8 to 20 cm. long, the 
few stiff branches naked below, contracted after flowering; spikelets 5 to 
8 mm. long.—Cult.; escaped along roadsides and in waste places; native 
of Eur. 

10. LAMARCKIA Moench 

Annual with flat blades and oblong one-sided compact panicles, the 
crowded fascicles drooping, falling entire, the fertile spikelets hidden, 
except the awns, by the sterile ones. Spikelets of two kinds, in fascicles, 
the terminal one of each fascicle fertile, the others sterile. Fertile spike- 
let with 1 perfect floret, the rachilla produced beyond the floret, bearing 
a small awned empty lemma or reduced to an awn; glumes narrow, 
acuminate or short-awned, 1-nerved; lemma broader, raised on a slender 
stipe, scarcely nerved, bearing just below the apex a delicate straight awn. 
Sterile spikelets linear, 1 to 3 in each fascicle, consisting of 2 glumes 
similar to those of the fertile spikelet, and numerous distichously imbri¬ 
cate obtuse awnless empty lemmas. (Jean Baptiste Antoine Pierre Mon- 
net, Chevelier de La Marck, eminent French naturalist.) 

1. L. aurea Moench. Golden-top. Culms erect, 1 to 3.8 dm. high, 
ligule prominent, decurrent as a broad scarious margin; panicle shining, 
golden-yellow or purplish; fertile spikelet about 2 mm. long, the sterile 
4 to 8 mm. long.—Cult, and waste ground, common in S. Cal., rarer 
northw; nat. from Mediterranean region. 

• 11. MELICA L. 

Rather tall perennials, the base of the culm often swollen into a corm, 
with closed sheaths and usually flat blades. Panicle narrow or some¬ 
times open, usually simple, of relatively large spikelets. Spikelets 2 to 
several-flowered, the rachilla prolonged beyond the perfect florets and 
bearing at the apex two or three gradually smaller empty lemmas, con¬ 
volute together or the upper inclosed in the lower. Glumes somewhat un¬ 
equal, thin, scarious-margined, obtuse or acute, sometimes nearly as 
long as the lower floret, 3 to 5-nerved, the nerves usually prominent. 
Lemmas convex, several-nerved, membranous or rather firm, awnless or 
sometimes awned from between the teeth of the bifid apex. (Old Italian 
name for sorghum, from mel, honey.) 

1. M. imperfecta Trin. Culms erect, 3 to 9 dm. high; blades narrow, 
usually not over 2 mm. wide; panicle 1 to 3 dm. long, the unequal 
branches more or less fascicled.—Dry open woods and rocky hillsides, 
lower altitudes, frequent in cismontane Cal. 

12. LOLIUM L. Rye Grass 

Plants with flat blades and simple terminal flat spikes. Spikelets 
several-flowered, solitary, placed edgewise to the continuous rachis, one 
edge fitting to the alternate concavities. First glume (next to rachis) 
wanting (except on the terminal spikelet), the second glume outside, 
strongly 3 to 5-nerved, equaling or exceeding the second floret. Lemmas 
rounded on the back, 5 to 7-nerved, obtuse, acute, or awned. (Ancient 
Latin name.) 

Glume shorter than the spikelet; perennial. 

Lemmas awned.-.h L- multiflorum. 



198 


GRAMINEAE 


Lemmas nearly or quite awnless...2. L. perenne. 

Glume as long or longer than the spikelet; annual.3. L. temulentum. 


1. L. multiflorum Lam. Italian or Australian Rye Grass. Culms 
3 to 6 dm. high, erect or often decumbent at base, often rough below the 
spike and on the convex side of the rachis; spike nodding, as much as 30 
cm. long; spikelets 1.5 to 2.5 cm. long, much exceeding the glume, 10 to 
20-flowered; lemmas 7 to 8 mm. long, the lower short-awned or awnless.— 
Roadsides and waste places, common; introd. from Eur. Frequently 
cult, for lawns and as meadow or pasture grass. 

2. L. perenne L. Perennial or English Rye Grass. Resembling 
no. 1, but usually more slender, with narrower glossy blades and smaller 
spikes; culms and convex side of rachis smooth; spikelets usually 8 to 
10-flowered, not much exceeding the glume; lemmas smaller.—Roadsides 
and waste places, rare; introd. from Eur. Sometimes cult, as a lawn or 
pasture grass. 

3. L. temulentum L. Darnel. Cheat. Culms 6 to 9 dm. high; 
spikes stout, strict, 12 to 20 cm. long; glume 1.5 to 2.5 cm. long, equaling 
the 5 to 7-flowered spikelet, firm, pointed, conspicuous; lemmas 6 to 8 
mm. long, obtuse, awned; awn as much as 8 mm. long.—Fields and waste 
places, rather common; nat. from Eur. Var. arvense Bab. Differs in 
having awnless spikelets.—Less common than the species; nat. from Eur. 

13. AGROPYRON Gaertn. Wheat Grass 

Our species perennial, often with creeping rhizomes. Spikelets several- 
flowered, solitary (or rarely in pairs), placed flatwise at each joint of a 
continuous (rarely disarticulating) rachis. Glumes equal, firm, several- 
nerved, usually shorter than the first lemma, acute or awned, rarely 
obtuse or notched. Lemmas convex, rather firm, 5 to 7-nerved, usually 
acute or awned from the apex. Palea shorter than the lemma. (Greek 
agros, field, and puros, wheat.) 

1. A. tenerum Vasey. Slender Wheat Grass. Culms erect, tufted, 
6 to 12 dm. high; spike cvlindric, slender, erect, 10 to 15. cm. long; 
glumes nearly as long as the spikelet, gradually tapering into an awned 
point.—Open woods, rocky slopes and valley plains, widely scattered. 

14. TRITICUM L. 

Slender annuals. Flowers in a terminal spike. Spikes dense, some¬ 
what 4-sided. Spikelets 2 to 5-flowered, borne singly on opposite sides 
of a zig-zag rachis. Glumes broadly ovate, obtuse, 3 to many-nerved, 
several-toothed or awned. Lemmas awned or awnless. Grain free. 
(Old Latin name for wheat.) 

1. T. sativum L. Wheat. A collective species grown in many 
varieties under many names. Aaronsohn considers the cultural form, 
T. dicoccum Schrank, to be the ancestor of true wheat and that it is 
derived from a wild wheat in Palestine, T. dicoccoides Korn. (cf. U. S. 
Bur. PI. Ind. Bull. 180:36-52). Wheat has been cultivated from pre¬ 
historic times. When Joseph’s brethren came down into Egypt, the 
house of bondage, out of the land of Canaan, to buy corn in the years 
of famine, this corn was wheat, and possibly barley or millet, but not 
our American corn which is maize and which was unknown in the Old 
World until after the discovery of America by Columbus. At one time. 




GRASS FAMILY 


199 


in the period after gold days, our Californians were extensive pro¬ 
ducers of wheat. The grain ships for Liverpool made a forest of masts 
in San Francisco Bay and Carquinez Straits. Nowadays we do not 
produce sufficient wheat for our own mills. 

15. SECALE L. Rye 

Tall slender herbs. Spikes terminal, dense. Spikelets with 2 perfect 
flowers, sessile on the opposite sides of a zig-zag rachis. Glumes subulate, 
1-nerved. Lemmas keeled, long-awned. (Said to be from Latin seco, 
to cut.) 

1. S. cereale L. Native of Asia; cult, widely in the U. S., the grain 
used for making bread and for distilling gin. Tradition says gin pro¬ 
duced most extraordinary effects of a highly exhilirating character upon 
the imbiber, succeeded by languor or stupor, in the case of extreme 
potations, sometimes ending in death. 

16. HORDEUM L. Wild Barley 

Plants with flat blades and dense terminal cylindric spikes. Spikelets 
1-flowered, 3 (sometimes 2) together at each node of the rachis, the 
middle one sessile or subsessile, the lateral ones pediceled, the back of the 
lemma turned from the rachis. Rachilla in the central spikelet pro¬ 
longed behind the palea as a bristle and sometimes bearing a rudimen¬ 
tary floret; lateral spikelets usually imperfect, sometimes reduced to 
bristles. Glumes narrow, often subulate and awned, rigid, standing in 
front of the spikelet. Lemmas rounded on the back, 5-nerved, usually 
obscurely so, tapering into a usually long awn. (Ancient Latin name 
for barley.) 

Rachis not disarticulating at maturity; plants annual.1. H. vulgare. 

Rachis disarticulating at maturity (that is, breaking up into joints). 

Plants annual. 

Glumes or some of them ciliate.2. H. murinum. 

Glumes not ciliate.3. H. gussoneanum. 

Plants perennial.4. H. nodosum. 

1. H. vulgare L. Cultivated Barley. Culms 5 to 15 dm. high; 
auricles of the-blade prominent, glabrous; spike densely flowered, 7 to 
9.5 cm. long, not including the long awns; lemma fusiform, narrowed 
into a scabrous flat awn 7 to 14 cm. long.—Native of the Old World; 
cult, extensively in Cal. The grain is used as food for horses and swine, 
and also for flour in bread-making. Var. trifurcatum Wend. Beardless 
Barley. Awns suppressed, replaced by short lobes or teeth.—Cult. 

2. H. murinum L. Farmer’s Foxtail. Culms bushy-branched, 
spreading; sheaths and blades smooth; spike 5 to 8 cm. long, often partly 
enclosed in the uppermost inflated sheath; glumes of the central spikelet 
narrowly spindle-form, 3-nerved, long-ciliate on both margins, the nerves 
scabrous; awn about 2.5 cm. long; glumes of the lateral spikelets unlike, 
the inner similar to the central, the outer setaceous, not ciliate; lemmas 
all broad, 8 to 10 mm. long, the awns somewhat exceeding those of the 
glumes.—Fields, waste places and open ground, very common and abund¬ 
ant ; nat. from Eur. 

3. H. gussoneanum Pari. Culms numerous, spreading or geniculate 
at base, 1.5 to 3.8 dm. high; sheaths and flat blades, especially the lower. 






200 


GRAMINEAE 


more or less pubescent; spike erect, oblong, 1.5 to 4 cm. long, about 10 
mm. wide, rounded at base; glumes setaceous, about 1.5 cm. long; lemma 
of lateral spikelets reduced, the awn 2 to 3 mm. long; lemma of central 
spikelets 5 mm. long, the awn somewhat longer than the glumes.—Fields 
and waste places, common in cent. Cal., rare in S. Cal.; nat. from Eur. 

4. H. nodosum L. Meadow Barley. Culms tufted, erect or genicu¬ 
late-ascending, 1.5 to 6 dm. high; blades relatively short and erect; spike 
slender, 2 to 8 cm. long; glumes all setaceous, 8 to 15 mm. long; floret of 
lateral spikelets much reduced.—Meadows and open ground throughout 
the state. 

17. ELYMUS L. Wild Rye 

Erect, usually rather tall, mostly perennials, with flat or rarely con¬ 
volute blades and erect or nodding spikes. Spikelets usually crowded, 
2 to 6-flowered, in pairs (rarely 3 or more or solitary) at each node of a 
continuous rachis, the florets dorsiventral to the rachis. Glumes equal, 
usually rigid, narrow, 1 to several-nerved, acute to aristate, somewhat 
asymmetric and often placed in front of the spikelets. Lemmas rounded 
on the back or nearly terete, obscurely 5-nerved, acute or usually awned 
from the tip. (Greek elumos, ancient name for a kind of millet.) 
Glumes subulate or very narrow, glabrous; plants perennial, with rhizomes. 

Blades 2 to 6 mm. wide.1. E. triticoides. 

Blades 1 to 2 cm. wide..2. E. condensatus. 

Glumes lanceolate, with 2 to 4 scabrous nerves; plants perennial, without rhizomes. 

3. E. glaucus. 

1. E. triticoides Buckl. Culms usually glaucous, 6 to 12 dm. high, 
commonly in large masses; rhizomes extensively creeping, the scales 
sometimes reddish; blades flat, or soon involute; spike 10 to 18 cm. long, 
slender, sometimes branched, 1 to 1.5 cm. long; lemmas 6 to 10 mm. long, 
glabrous, short-pointed, brownish.—Moist bottomland and alkaline* soil 
throughout the state. 

2. E. condensatus Presl. Giant Rye Grass. Culms in large clumps, 
stout, 9 to 18 dm. high, producing stout knotty rhizomes; blades flat; 
spike erect, usually dense, 15 to 30 cm. long, sometimes branched; spike¬ 
lets 1.2 to 2 cm. long; glumes awn-pointed, usually 1-nerved, or nerve¬ 
less, about as long as the first lemma; lemmas awnless or mucronate.— 
Dry plains and hillsides and along gullies and ditches: South Coast 
Ranges near the coast; S. Cal. 

3. E. glaucus Buckl. Western Rye Grass. Culms erect, 6 to 12 dm. 
high; blades flat (rarely more or less involute), 5 to 10 mm. wide, sca¬ 
brous on both surfaces; spike somewhat nodding, usually dense, long- 
exserted, 5 to 15 cm. long, rarely longer; spikelets 1 to 1.2 cm. long; 
glumes about as long as the spikelet; awn of lemma 1 to 2 times as long as 
the body.—Open woods, copses, and dry hillsides, throughout the state; 
n. to Alas., e. to Mich, and Mo. Var. jepsonji Davy. Sheaths and blades 
more or less pubescent.—Dry woods and ravines, Napa Valley. The 
species is exceedingly variable. 

18. SITANION Raf. 

Cespitose perennials, with bristly spikes. Spikelets 2 to few-flowered, 
the uppermost floret reduced, usually 2 at each node of a disarticulating 




GRASS FAMILY 


201 


rachis. the rachis breaking at the base of each joint, remaining attached 
as a pointed stipe to the spikelets above. Glumes narrow or setaceous, 1 
to 3-nerved, the nerves prominent, extending into one to several awns, 
these (when more than one) irregular in size, sometimes mere lateral 
appendages of the long central awn, sometimes equal, the glume being 
bifid. Lemmas firm, nearly terete, the apex slightly 2-toothed, 5-nerved, 
the nerves obscure, the central nerve extending into a long slender finally 
spreading awn, sometimes one or more of the lateral nerves also extending 
into short awns. Palea firm, nearly as long as the body of the lemma. 
(Greek sitos, grain for food.) 

1. S. jubatum J. G. Sm. Culms erect, 3 to 6 dm. high, rarely taller; 
spike erect, dense, 2.5 to 8 cm. long, thick and bushy from the numerous 
long awns.—Rocky or brushy hillsides and open dry woods and plains, 
widely scattered throughout cismontane Cal. Exceedingly variable in 
size, pubescence and length of awns. 

19. AVENA L. Oat 

Ours rather tall annuals. Panicles usually rather few-flowered, of 
usually large spikelets. Spikelets 2 to several-flowered, the rachilla 
bearded. Glumes about equal, membranous or papery, several-nerved, 
longer than the lower floret, usually exceeding the upper floret. Lem¬ 
mas indurate, except toward the summit, 5 to 9-nerved, bidentate at the 
apex, bearing a dorsal bent and twisted awn (this straight and reduced in 
A. sativa). (The classical Latin name.) 


Lemmas glabrous or nearly so...2. A. sativa. 

Lemmas pubescent with long usually brown hairs. 

Teeth of lemmas acuminate, not awned.1. A. fatua. 

Teeth of lemmas awned.3. A. barbata. 


1. A. fatua L. Wild Oat. Fig. 12. Culms 3 to 9 dm. high, erect, 
stout; panicle loose and open, the slender branches usually horizontally 
spreading; spikelets usually 3-flowered; glumes about 2.5 cm. long; 
rachilla and lower part of the shining lemma clothed with long stiff 
brownish hairs; florets readily falling from the glumes; lemma nerved 
above, about 2 cm. long, awn stout, geniculate, red-brown, twisted below, 
about 4 cm. long.—Fields and waste places, common; nat. from Eur. 
Var. glabrata Peterm. Differs in having nearly or quite glabrous 
lemmas.—With the species; nat. from Eur. 

2. A. sativa L. Cultivated Oat. Similar to no. 1 ; florets not read¬ 
ily separating from the glumes; spikelets usually 2-flowered; lemma gla¬ 
brous; awn straight, often wanting.—Commonly cultivated and occasion¬ 
ally escaped; native of Eur. Oats, the food of horses in England, is in 
Scotland the common food of the people (consult Dr. Samuel Johnson). 
In California oats are used as food by both horses and men. 

3. A. barbata Brot. Similar to no. 1 : spikelets somewhat smaller, 
mostly 2-flowered, the pedicels curved and capillary; lemma clothed with 
stiff red hairs, the acuminate teeth ending in fine awns 4 mm. long.— 
Fields and waste places; nat. from Eur. 

20. AMMOPHILA Host 

A tough rather coarse erect perennial, with hard scaly creeping 
rhizomes, long tough involute blades, and a pale dense spike-like panicle. 





20 2 


GRAMINEAE 


Spikelets 1-flowered, compressed, the rachilla disarticulating above the 
glumes, produced beyond the palea as a short bristle, hairy above; 
glumes about equal, chartaceous; lemma similar to and slightly shorter 
than the glumes, the callus bearing a tuft of short hairs; palea nearly as 
long as the lemma. (Greek ammos, sand, and philein, to love.) 

1. A. arenaria (L.) Link. Beach Grass. Culms stout, 6 to 9 dm. 
high; panicle 10 to 30 cm. long; spikelets 1 to 2 cm. long.—Introd. on 
the Pacific Coast where it has been used as a sandbinder on seacoast 
sand-dunes; native of Eur. 

21. AGROSTIS L. Bent Grass 

Plants with glabrous culms and scabrous blades. Panicles of small 
spikelets. Rachilla disarticulating above the glumes, usually not pro¬ 
longed. Glumes equal or nearly so, acute, acuminate, or sometimes awn- 
pointed, carinate. Lemma obtuse, usually shorter and thinner in texture 
than the glumes, awnless or dorsally awned, often hairy on the callus. 
Palea usually shorter than the lemma, 2-nerved in only a few species, 
usually small and nerveless or obsolete. (Ancient Greek name of a forage 
grass, from agros, a field.) 

Palea evident, 2-nerved, to as long as lemma; plants with rhizomes. 

1. A. palustris. 

Palea minute, nerveless ; plants without rhizomes or with very short ones. 

2. A. exarata. 

1. A. palustris Huds. Redtop. Culms erect or decumbent and root¬ 
ing at base, 3 to 9 dm. high; panicle pyramidal, loose but not diffuse, 5 to 
30 cm. long, the lower branches in whorls; lemma a little shorter than the 
glumes, obtuse, rarely awned on back.—Cult, as a meadow grass, fre¬ 
quently escaped along roadsides and in waste places; introd. from Eur. 
(A. alba of authors.) 

2. A. exarata Trin. Culms erect, 3 to 12 dm. high, or often depauper¬ 
ate; panicle contracted and spike-like or loose and somewhat spreading, 
the branches densely flowered; lemma 2 mm. long, awnless, or rarely 
with a short prickle on the back.—Moist to rather dry open ground, 
throughout the state from the seacoast to middle altitudes in the mts. 

22. PHLEUM L. 

Annuals or perennials, with erect culms, flat blades, and dense spike¬ 
like panicles. Spikelets laterally compressed, disarticulating above the 
glumes. Glumes equal, membranous, keeled. Lemma shorter than the 
glumes, hyaline, broadly truncate, 3 to 5-nerved. Palea narrow, nearly as 
long as the lemma. (Greek phleos, a kind of reed.) 

1. P. pratense L. Timothy. Culms 6 to 12 dm. high, from a swollen 
or bulb-like base; panicles 3 to 15 cm. long.—Cult.; also escaped in fields 
and waste places; native of Eur. 

23. STIPA L. Porcupine Grass. Spear Grass 

Perennials, with usually convolute blades and narrow panicles. Spike¬ 
lets disarticulating above the glumes, the articulation oblique, leaving a 
bearded, sharp-pointed callus attached to the base of the floret. Glumes 
membranous, often papery, acute or acuminate, usually long and narrow. 
Lemma narrow, terete, firm or indurate, strongly convolute, terminating 
in a bent and twisted prominent persistent awn. Palea inclosed in the 




GRASS FAMILY 


203 


convolute lemma. (Greek stupa, tow, referring to the feathery awns of 
some species.) 

Ligule evident; terminal segment of awn mostly 4 cm. or more long....l. S. pulchra. 
Ligule minute ; terminal segment of awn mostly less than 2 cm. long.. .2. S’, lepida. 

1. S. pulchra Hitchc. Culms 6 to 9 dm. high; blades long, narrow, 
flat or involute; ligule about 1 mm. long; panicle about 15 cm. long, 
loose, the branches spreading, slender, some of the lower 2.5 to 5 cm. long; 
glumes narrow, long-acuminate, purplish, the first about 2 cm. long, the 
second 2 to 4 mm. shorter; lemma 8 mm. long, sparingly pilose; awn 
5 to 8 cm. long, short-pubescent to the second bend.—Open ground at 
low altitudes: common in the Coast Ranges; Sierra foothills; s. to San 
Diego Co. 

2. S. lepida Hitchc. Culms slender, puberulent below the nodes, 6 to 
9 dm. high; sheaths sparingly villous at throat; blades flat, narrow, 2 to 4 
mm. wide, pubescent on upper surface near base; panicle rather loose, 
usually 15 to 20 cm. or sometimes more than 30 cm. long, the branches 
distant, slender: glumes acuminate, the first 6 to 10 mm. long, the 
second about 2 mm. shorter ; lemma about 6 mm. long, sparingly villous, 
nearly glabrous toward the hairy-tufted apex; awn indistinctly twice 
bent, 2.5 to 4 cm. long, scabrous.—Open ground, Berkeley Hills to San 
Bernardino and San Diego. Var. andersonii (Vasey) Hitchc. Differs 
chiefly in the slender involute blades; plant on the average smaller, with 
narrower few-flowered panicles, the spikelets usually smaller.—About 
same range but extending n. to Mt. Shasta. 

24. POLYPOGON Desf. 

Plants usually decumbent, with flat blades and dense bristly spike-like 
panicles. Pedicel disarticulating a short distance below the glumes, 
leaving a short-pointed callus: glumes equal, entire or 2-lobed, awned 
from the tip or from between the lobes, the awn slender, straight; lemma 
much shorter than the glumes, hyaline, usually bearing a slender straight 
awn shorter than the awns of the glumes. (Greek polus, much, and 
pogon, beard.) 

Sheaths scabrous; panicles oblong, more or less interupted or lobed....l. P. lutosus. 
Sheaths smooth ; panicles soft, dense, spike-like.2. P. monspeliensis. 

1. P. lutosus (Poir.) Hitchc. Culms geniculate at base, 3 to 7.5 dm. 
high; lemma smooth and shining, 1 mm. long, minutely toothed at the 
truncate apex, the awn about as long as the glumes.—Waste ground, 
throughout the state, especially along irrigation ditches; nat. from Eur. 

2. P. monspeliensis (L.) Desf. Beard Grass. Culms erect or de¬ 
cumbent at base, scabrous below panicle, depauperate or as much as 9 
dm. long; panicles tawny-yellow; floret turgid, the awn slightly exceeding 
the body of the glumes.—Waste places, common along irrigation ditches; 
nat. from Eur. 

25. CYNODON Rich. 

Usually low perennials with creeping stolons or rhizomes, short blades, 
and several slender spikes digitate at the summit of the upright flowering 
culms. Spikelets 1-flowered, sessile, the rachilla prolonged behind the 
palea, sometimes bearing a rudimentary lemma. Glumes narrow, acumi¬ 
nate, 1-nerved, about equal, shorter than the floret. Lemma strongly 



204 


GRAMINEAE 


compressed, pubescent on the keel, firm, 3-nerved, the lateral nerves 
close to the margins. (Greek kuon, a dog, and odous, tooth.) 

1. C. dactylon (L.) Pers. Bermuda Grass. Devil Grass. Culms 
flattened, wiry, glabrous; ligule a conspicuous ring of white hairs; spikes 
4 to 6, 2.5 to 6 cm. long; spikelets imbricate, 2 mm. long.—Moist valley 
fields and along irrigating ditches; native of warmer parts of Old World. 
Under the name Bermuda Grass it is by some farmers regarded as good 
pasturage. Other farmers, watching its rapid invasion of their culti¬ 
vated fields, liken it to a predatory corporation that sucks all their sub¬ 
stance and, therefore, call it Devil Grass. 

26. SPARTINA Schreb. 

Stout erect tall perennials, with extensively creeping firm scaly rhi¬ 
zomes, long tough blades, and two to many appressed or sometimes spread¬ 
ing spikes racemose on the main axis. Spikelets 1-flowered, much flat¬ 
tened laterally, sessile and usually closely imbricate, disarticulating be¬ 
low the glumes, the rachilla not produced beyond the floret. Glumes 
keeled, 1-nerved, acute or short-awned, the first shorter, the second often 
exceeding the lemma. Lemma firm, keeled, the lateral nerves obscure, 
narrowed to a rather obtuse point. Palea keeled and flattened, the keel 
between or at one side of the nerves. (Greek spartion, a cord, referring 
to the tough leaves.) 

1. S. foliosa Trim Blades 8 to 12 mm. broad at the flat base, gradu¬ 
ally narrowed to a long involute tip, smooth; inflorescence dense, spike¬ 
like; spikes numerous, close-appressed; glumes ciliate on keel; lemma 
hispidulous on sides, smooth on keel; palea longer than lemma.—Salt 
marshes and tidal flats along the coast, San Francisco Bay to San Diego. 
Useful in reclaiming marshland. 

27. PHALARIS L. 

Erect plants with flat blades and .spike-like panicles. Spikelets laterally 
compressed, with 1 perfect floret and 2 reduced sterile lemmas, usually 
in dense spike-like panicles. Glumes equal, boat-shaped, often winged 
on the keel. Sterile lemmas reduced to 2 small scales (rarely only 1). 
Fertile lemma coriaceous, shorter than the glumes, inclosing the palea. 
(Ancient Greek name for some grass.) 

Spikelets in groups of 7, 1 fertile surrounded by 6 sterile; keel of the glumes 
winged above, the wing extending into a tooth ; glumes of the 4 outer 
sterile spikelets in lower part of panicle deformed into knobs; panicle 
dense, narrowed at base, often enclosed at base in the uppermost en¬ 
larged sheath.....1. P. paradoxa. 

Spikelets single, all alike ; glumes broadly winged on the keel above, more or 
less toothed; panicle ovate or short-oblong.2. P. minor. 

1. P. paradoxa L. Gnawed Canary Grass. Annual; culms tufted, 
more or less spreading at base, 3 to 6 dm. high; spikelets falling in 
groups of 7, the central fertile, nearly sessile, the others sterile, slender- 
pediceled; fertile lemma smooth, shining, 3 mm. long, the sterile lemmas 
obsolete.—Grain fields, often abundant and widely distributed in the state; 
nat. from the Old World. Var. praemorsa (Lam.) Coss. & Dur. Sterile 
spikelets short-pediceled, the 4 outer much reduced, the apex deformed 
into knobs or variously incurved; fertile spikelet somewhat indurate, 
several-nerved at base, acuminate, the wing fin-like.—Waste places, San 




GRASS FAMILY 


205 


Diego Co. to the Sacramento Valley, the commoner form; nat. from Eur. 

2. P. minor Retz. Annual; culms erect. 3 to 9 dm. high; glumes with 
a green stripe on each side of the keel at the base of the wing, the wing 
scabrous on the margin and more or less toothed; fertile lemma ovate, 
acute, villous, about 3 mm. long, the sterile lemma solitary, about Vs as 
long.—Waste places, rather abundant: Sacramento Valley to S. Cal.; 
nat. from Mediterranean region. 

28. ORYZA L. 

Ours a tall annual. Spikelets 1-flowered. Flowers perfect, in panicles. 
Glumes minute. Lemma and palea about equal, keeled, scabrous, the 
lemma more or less awned. Stamens 6. (From the Arabic name.) 

1. O. sativa L. Rice. Cult, on low lands in the Sacramento Valley. 
It is an important cereal, furnishing food to more people of the earth 
than any other one grain. Native of Old World. 

29. PANICUM L. Panic Grass 

Annuals or perennials. Spikelets arranged in open or compact pan¬ 
icles, rarely racemes. Glumes usually very unequal, the first often 
minute, the second typically equaling the sterile lemma, the latter of the 
same texture and simulating a third glume, bearing in its axil a mem¬ 
branous or hyaline palea and sometimes a staminate flower, the palea 
rarely wanting. Fertile lemma chartaceous-indurate, typically obtuse, 
the nerves obsolete, the margins inrolled over an inclosed palea of the 
same texture. (Ancient Latin name for common millet.) 

1. P. pacificum Hitchc. & Chase. Tufted perennial; vernal phase light 
green, more or less papillose-pilose throughout, 3 to 6 dm. high; ligule 
ciliate, about 4 mm. long; spikelets 1.8 to 2 mm. long; autumnal phase 
prostrate-spreading, repeatedly branching from the upper and middle 
nodes.—Sandy shores and slopes, and moist crevices in rocks: San 
Bernardino Mts. and Sierra Nevada, 500 to 4000 ft.; along the coast 
from Pt. Reyes to Del Norte Co. 

30. ECHINOCHLOA Beauv. 

Coarse, often succulent, our species annual with compressed sheaths, 
linear flat blades, and rather compact panicles of short densely flowered 
racemes along a main axis. Spikelets plano-convex, often stiffly hispid, 
solitary or in irregular clusters on one side of the panicle branches. 
First glume about half the length of the spikelet, pointed; second glume 
and sterile lemma equal, pointed, mucronate, or the glume short-awned 
and the lemma long-awned, sometimes conspicuously so, inclosing a mem¬ 
branous palea and sometimes a staminate flower. Fertile lemma plano¬ 
convex, smooth and shining, acuminate-pointed, the margins inrolled 
below, flat above, the apex of the palea not inclosed. (Greek echinos, 
hedgehog, and chloa, grass.) 

1. E. crusgalli (L.) Beauv. Water Grass. Culms stout, 6 to 12 dm. 
high; leaves glabrous; panicle dense, 10 to 25 cm. long, consisting of 
several erect spreading or even drooping racemes ; spikelets green or 
purple, long-awned or nearly awnless, about 3 mm. long, exclusive of 
awns, densely and irregularly crowded in 3 or 4 rows.—Fields and cult, 
soil, especially along irrigating ditches; serious pest in the Sacramento 


206 


ORCHIDACEAE 


Valley rice-fields; nat. from Enr. Var. zelayensis (H. B. K.) Hitchc. 
A pale short-awned form with short ascending racemes.—Open, often 
alkaline soil, mostly along irrigating ditches, Imperial Co. 

31. HOLCUS L. Sorghum 

Annuals or perennials with flat blades and terminal panicles of 1 
to 5 jointed tardily disarticulating racemes. Flowers perfect and stami- 
nate, borne in the same inflorescence but in unlike spikelets, the sessile 
spikelets with perfect flowers, the pedicellate with staminate flowers. 
Terminal joint with two pedicellate spikelets. (Old Latin name for 
a grass, probably from Greek holcos, attractive.) 

Panicle large, open ; spikelets very small; perennial by spreading rootstocks. 

1. H. halepensis. 

Panicle smaller, denser; spikelets larger; annual.2. H. sorghum. 

1. H. halepensis L. Johnson Grass. Culms 6 to 12 dm. high; 
blades flat, 6 to 18 mm. wide, the midrib prominent, white; panicle 15 to 
25 cm. long, open; fertile spikelets about 5 mm. long, the glumes pubes¬ 
cent, becoming glabrate and shining; fertile lemma with a bent readily 
deciduous awn; staminate spikelets narrow, 4 mm. long, on pedicels about 
3 mm. long, the glumes membranous, nerved, glabrous.—Native of the 
Old World; cult, as a valuable forage grass but often becoming an aggres¬ 
sive weed. (Andropogon halepensis Brot.) 

2. H. sorghum L. Field Sorghum. Cult, from the Old World in 
many forms. Those with juicy pith include Sugar Sorghum and Kafir 
Corn. Those with dry pith include Broom Corn, Milo Maize and Durra 
(including Egyptian Corn). The sorghums are valuable fodder and 
grain plants, but when first introduced into the United States loud- 
sounding and extravagant claims were made by promoters for these 
cereals, whence the significant slang in American politics, Senator Sorg¬ 
hum. The Sudan Grass of cultivation is var. sudanensis (Piper) 
Hitchc.; rootstocks none; branches few; midribs not white. 

32. ZEA L. Maize 

Annuals with broad leaves. Flowers unisexual, the staminate in a 
terminal panicle (the “tassel”) the pistillate in a thick spike surrounded 
by leafy husks (the “ear”). Staminate spikelets in pairs on the rachis, 
one sessile, the other pediceled, each 2-flowered. Pistillate spikelets in 
several close rows upon a greatly thickened axis (the “cob”), consisting 
of one fertile and one sterile flower; styles numerous, protruding from 
the ear and forming the “silk”. (An old Greek name for some common 
cereal.) 

1. Z. mays L. Indian Corn. Native of America and cult, from pre¬ 
historic times. The wild ancestor is not known (cf. Collins, Jour. Wash. 
Acad. Sci. 2:520). Important cultural varieties are sweet, dent, and 
pop corn. 

ORCHIDACEAE. ORCHID FAMILY 

Perennial herbs. Flowers perfect, irregular, bracted, either solitary 
or in spikes or racemes. Sepals 3, alike. Petals 3, 2 alike, the third 
petal called the “lip” commonly dissimilar in color, size and shape, often 
enlarged, sac-like or spurred, in our genera most frequently brought 




ORCHID FAMILY 


207 


into an inferior position (i.e., on the lower side of the flower), by twisting 
of the ovary. Filaments united with the single style forming a column ; 
anthers 1 or 2. Ovary inferior, commonly long and twisted, 1-celled. 
Fruit a 3-valved capsule. Seeds innumerable, minute.—The largest 
family of seed plants, consisting of about 13,000 species, of wide distri¬ 
bution but most abundant in the tropics. Many are highly ornamental, 
though few are of economic value. 

Leaves foliaceous, i.e., the plants with green herbage. 

Flowers solitary or several, showy ; lip large and sac-like. 


Leaves 2 to many, cauline ; sepals and petals’brown or greenish-yellow.... 

1. Cypripedium. 

Leaf 1, basal ; sepals and petals rose-purple. 2. Calypso. 

Flowers many, spicate or racemose; lip various, but not saccate. 

Perianth with a spur ; bracts inconspicuous. 3. Habenaria. 

Perianth spurless ; bracts conspicuous, foliaceous..4. Epipactis. 

Leaves reduced and scale-like, the plants destitute of green herbage. 

5. CORALLORRHIZA. 


1. CYPRIPEDIUM L. Lady’s Slipper 

Steins leafy, rough-pubescent, from tufted fibrous roots. Leaves 2 to 
many, large. Flowers few or solitary, large and showy, leafy-bracted. 
Sepals spreading, in ours seeming as if only 2, the lateral completely or 
almost completely united into one under the lip or inflated sac. (Greek 
Cypris, Venus, and pedilon, shoe, the saccate lip a fit buskin for the 
goddess.) 

Stem with several alternate leaves, 2.8 to 5.7 dm. high. 

Petals linear-lanceolate 3 to 4.8 cm. long; lower sepals united almost to the 
apex, the subulate tips free...1. C. montanum. 

Petals oblong-linear, 1.2 to 1.4 cm. long; lower sepals united quite to the 

apex...2. C. californicum. 

Stem with 2 opposite leaves, 4.8 to 24 cm. high ; sepals and petals lanceolate, 1.2 to 
2.4 cm. long.....3. C. fasciculatum. 

1. C. montanum Dough Leaves elliptic- to narrowly-ovate, the 
largest 1.2 to 1.4 dm. long ; flowers 1 to 3; sepals and wavy-twisted 
petals usually dark brown, linear-lanceolate, 3.6 to 6 cm. long ; lip 2.4 cm. 
long, dull white, veined with purple; capsule erect or nearly so.—Dense 
woods, Coast Ranges and Sierra Nevkda. 

2. C. calif ornicum Gray. Leaves ovate-lanceolate (or ovate), acute 
or acuminate, 7.2 to 14.4 cm. long, the upper lanceolate; flowers 1 to 6, 
greenish-yellow; lip obovoid, white or light rose-color, veined with purple, 
1.6 to 2 cm. long; capsule reflexed.—Marin'Co.; Del Norte Co. to 
Lassen Co. 

3. C. fasciculatum Kell. Leaves 2, nearly opposite, ovate to nearly 
orbicular, 4.8 to 9.6 cm. long, pale green, with 3 prominent ribs beneath; 
flowers solitary or 2 to several in a small terminal cluster; lip depressed- 
ovate, greenish-yellow with brown or purplish margin, 8 to 12 mm. long. 
—Dry open hillsides: Santa Cruz Co.; Plumas Co. to Del Norte Co. 

2. CALYPSO Salisb. 

Low herb with a corm and coral-like roots. Stem scape-like, sheathed 
by a few scale-like leaves, with a single drooping terminal flower. 
Flowers large, showy. Sepals and petals similar, equal, distinct; lip 
sac-like, terminating in 2 short spurs protruding from beneath a winged 









208 


ORCHIDACEAE 


margin; upper side of sac inside with 3 densely ciliate ridges running 
from the opening towards the spurs, with 2 short spurs below the ex¬ 
panded apex. (The nymph Calypso in Homer.) 

1. C. bulbosa (L.) Oakes. Calypso. Stem 9.6 to 12 cm. high; leaf 
ovate, cordate or truncate at base; sepals and petals rose-purple, some¬ 
times pale; lip as long or slightly longer, ovate-inflated, reddish-brown 
and mottled.—Bogs or in leaf-mold in redwood or pine forests from 
Marin Co. northw. 

3. HABENARIA Willd. Rein-orchis 

Stems erect, leafy at least at base, solitary from fleshy tuber-like roots. 
Flowers greenish, yellowish, or white, in a terminal spike or raceme. 
Sepals equal, the lateral mostly spreading, the petals a trifle smaller. 
Lip spreading or drooping, in ours entire, produced at base into a long 
slender spur. (Latin habena, a thong or rein of a horse, on account 
of the shape of the spur in some species.) 

1. H. elegans (Lindl.) Jepson. Stem slender, strict, 2.4 to 3 dm. high; 
basal leaves oblanceolate to lanceolate; spike slender, laxly flowered, 
attenuate at apex, 1.2 to 1.6 dm. long; flowers whitish; spur as long as 
or a little longer than the ovary.—S. Cal. and Coast Range woods mostly 
near the coast. 

2. H. maritima Greene. Low and stout, 1.4 to 3 dm. high; basal leaves 
oblong, acute; spike very dense and thick, slightly conical, 3.6 to 9.6 
cm. long; flowers white, with a heavy fragrance; spur slender, longer 
than the ovary.—Sea-cliffs or coast hills, San Francisco Co. to Hum¬ 
boldt Co. 

4. EPIPACTIS Haller 

Stem leafy from a creeping rootstock. Flowers in a raceme with 
foliaceous bracts. Sepals and petals nearly equal, spreading; lip strongly 
constricted at the middle, the lower portion deeply concave, the upper 
portion dilated. Ovaries reflexed at maturity. (Greek epipegnuo, be¬ 
cause used to curdle milk.) 

1. E. gigantea Dougl. Stream Orchis. Stout, 2.8 to 8.6 (or 11.5) 
dm. high, nearly glabrous; leaves oyate below, lanceolate above, acute or 
acuminate, 7.2 to 16.8 cm. long; raceme minutely pubescent; flowers 3 
to 10; sepals greenish; petals rose-color, purple-veined, particularly the 
lip.—Moist stream banks. 

5. CORALLORRHIZA R. Br. Coral-root 

Brownish or yellowish saprophytes or root-parasites, destitute of green 
herbage, and with branching toothed coral-like roots. Stems scape-like, 
the flowers in a terminal raceme. Perianth-segments oblong or lanceo¬ 
late, nearly alike, ours 3-nerved, gibbous at base over the ovary, or the 
lateral sepals united at base with the foot of the column, forming a short 
spur. Capsules reflexed. (Greek korallion, coral, and rhiza, root.) 

1. C. striata Lindl. Stems many in a cluster, 1.9 to 4.8 dm. high; 
sepals and petals somewhat flesh-colored, striately 3-nerved with purple 
or reddish-brown lines, about 1.2 cm. long, approximated on upper side 
of flower and curved over column in such a way as to form a sort of 
hood; spur none.—Woods, 500 to 5000 ft. C. maculata Raf. Spur 
present, attached to ovary.—Mt. woods, 3000 to 6000 ft. 



Deer Brush (Ceanothus integerrimus H. 
& A.), a, panicle; b, capsule. This species 
is an important browse shrub in the Sierras. 
See p. 77. 












GLOSS AR\ 


Achene, a dry indehiscent 1-seeded 
fruit. 

Acuminate, tapering gradually to 
the apex. 

Acute, with a sharp point. 

Adherent or adnate, growing fast 
to or united with another organ 
or body. 

Anterior, the side in front; in an 
axillary flower the side away 
from the axis. 

Anthesis, the period during which 
a flower is expanded, the anthers 
shedding pollen and the stigmas 
receptive. 

Appendage, any supplementary or 
superadded part. 

Axil, the angle between a leaf and 
stem. 

Axile, referring to the axis. 

Axillary, borne in the axil. 

Berry, a fleshy indehiscent fruit. 
Bifid, 2-cleft. 

Bract, the modified leaf of a flower- 
cluster. 

Bractlet, the small modified leaf 
subtending a single flower or 
borne on the pedicel. 

Caducous, dropping off very early 
as compared with other parts. 

Capitate, gathered or collected into 
a head-like cluster. 

Capsule, a dry seed-vessel which 
splits open and is composed of 
more than one carpel. 

Carpel, a simple pistil with a 1- 
celled ovary, 1 placenta, 1 style 
and 1 stigma, or one of the 
units of a compound pistil; also 
applied to a simple pistil when 
mature or to one of the parts of 
a compound pistil which splits up 
yvhen ripe. 

Caudcx, a short woody stem at the 
surface of the ground, rarely 
rising conspicuously above the 
surface. 


Chamisal, collective term, includ¬ 
ing the individuals of Adeno- 
stoma, a gregarious shrub. 

Chaparral, collective term refer¬ 
ring to the low shrubs which 
form extensive colonies on moun¬ 
tain slopes, including particular¬ 
ly the Manzanita, Buck Brush, 
Scrub Oak. Pickeringia and sim¬ 
ilar species with rigid or thorny 
branches. 

Choripetalous o r chorisepalous, 
with distinct petals or sepals. 

Ciliate, having the margin bordered 
with a row of hairs. 

Circumscissile, with pod dehiscing 
around the middle, the top com¬ 
ing off like a lid. 

Cismontane, this side of the moun¬ 
tains; cismontane S. Cal., coastal 
Southern California. 

Claw, the narrow stalk-like base of 
a petal, as in the Pinks. 

Cleft, with sharp lobes. 

Connivent, lightly joined. 

Convolute, rolled inwards from one 
side to the other. 

Corymb, a flat-topped flower clus¬ 
ter, the pedicels of unequal 
length. 

Crcnate, with rounded or blunt 
teeth. 

Deciduous, falling when ripe or 
after the function has been per¬ 
formed. 

Decumbent, lying on the ground but 
tending to rise at the end. 

Deltoid, triangular in outline. 

Dentate, toothed, with the teeth 
standing directly outwards. 

Denticulate, dentate with fine teeth. 

Diadelphous, united in two sets. 

Dichotomous, branching or fork¬ 
ing, with the two divisions near¬ 
ly equal. 


GLOSSARY 


211 


Discrete, not crowded, distinctly 
separate but not remote or dis¬ 
tant. 

Dissected, several times cut into 
small segments. 

Divided, cleft quite to the base or 
to the midrib. 

Emarginate, with a sharp notch. 

Entire, the margin not toothed or 
indented. 

Epigynous, as if borne on the sum¬ 
mit of the ovary. 

Exserted, protruding beyond the 
surrounding organ. 

Fascicle, a close cluster or bundle. 

Fertile, setting fruit or containing 
good pollen. 

Fistulous, hollow. 

Foliaceous, leaf-like. 

Follicle, the fruit of a simple pistil. 

Free, not united to another organ. 

Gibbous, swollen or distended on 
one side. 

Glabrous, not hairy; bald. 

Herb, a plant without woody stem 
or parts, at least above ground. 

Hispid, with stiff rigid hairs. 

Hispidulous, minutely hispid. 

Hooded, concave or curved in at 
the top like a hood. 

Hypogynous, inserted on the recep¬ 
tacle and free from -the ovary. 

Incised, cut irregularly. 

Included, not protruding beyond 
the surrounding organ. 

Indehiscent, not splitting open. 

Inferior ovary, one more or less 
attached to the calyx. 

Involucre, a circle of bracts sub¬ 
tending a flower-cluster; in- 
volucel, a secondary involucre. 

Laciniate, cut or slashed into nar¬ 
row divisions. 

Leaflet, one of the divisions of a 
compound leaf. 

Limb, the spreading part of a 
corolla. 

Lobe, a shallow division of an 
organ. 


Monadelphous, united in one set. 

Nut, an indehiscent fruit with a 
hard firm wall ; nutlet, a diminu¬ 
tive nut. 

Obtuse, blunt or rounded. 

Palmate, with the parts borne like 
the fingers on a hand. 

Panicle, a compound flower-cluster, 
a raceme or corymb compounded 
by branching. 

Pappus, the modified calyx of Com- 
positae, often hair-like, bristly 
or .scaly. 

Parted, cleft nearly but not quite 
to the base or to the midrib. 

Pedicel, stalk of a flower in a 
flower-cluster. 

Peduncle, stalk of a flower or 
flower-cluster. 

Perigynous, inserted on the calyx. 

Persistent, falling away tardily or 
not at all. 

Pinnate, with the leaflets arranged 
along each side of a common 
petiole. 

Pinnatidd, cleft in a pinnate man¬ 
ner. 

Pistil, is simple when composed of 
a single carpel, is compound 
when composed of 2 or more 
carpels. 

Placenta, the portion of the ovary 
wall bearing the ovules. 

Pod, a dry dehiscent fruit, such as 
a capsule, follicle, legume or 
silique. 

Posterior, the side behind, in an ax¬ 
illary flower the side next to the 
axis. 

Prostrate, lying close along the 
ground. 

Puberulent, minutely pubescent. 

Pubescent, clothed with hairs. 

Raceme, a flower-cluster in which 
the flowers are borne along the 
peduncle on pedicels of nearly 
equal length. 

Rcvolute, rolled backward from 
each side. 


212 


GLOSSARY 


Rotate, wheel-shaped. 

Rudiment, an imperfectly developed 
organ. 

Scape, a leafless flowering stem 
arising from the ground. 

Serrate, toothed or with a saw-like 
edge. 

Smooth, not rough. 

Spike, a flower-cluster in which the 
flowers are sessile along the 
peduncle. 

Sterile, barren, not fertile. 

Stipule, an appendage at base of a 
leaf; stipel, one at base of a leaf¬ 
let. 

Strict, closely upright, not spread¬ 
ing. 

Succulent, juicy or fleshy. 


Superior ovary, one free from the 
calyx. 

Sympetalous or synscpalous, with 
more or less united petals or 
sepals. 

Throat, the upper expanded portion 
or orifice of a corolla-tube. 

Turbinate, top-shaped. 

Two-lipped, cleft into 2 lips, an 
upper and a lower, as the corolla 
of Mimulus or of Sage. 

Umbel, a flat-topped flower-cluster, 
the pedicels proceeding from the 
summit of the peduncle and 
nearly equal. 

Verticil, same as whorl. 

Whorl, borne on an axis in a circle. 



California Wild Grape (Vitis cali- 
fornica Bth.). a, leaf and fruit cluster; 
b, flower, with the calyx lifting; c, 
flower in anthesis. These grapes make 
one of the most finely flavored jellies 
that ever gratified the palate of mortal 
man. 





SELECTED READING REFERENCES 


Classification of Plants, by J. D. Hooker (in La Maout & Decaisne, 
System of Botany, 987-994.—1873). Classification and Morphology, by 
Charles Darwin (in The Origin of Species, vol. 2:202-238,—ed. of 1899). 
The Natural History of Plants, by Anton Kerner, translated by D. 
Oliver (vols. 1 and 2. 1902). Plant Geography upon a Physiological 
Basis, by A. F. W. Schimper (1903). Lectures on Plant Physiology, by 
Ludwig Jost (1907). Herbals, their Origin and Evolution, 1470-1670, by 
Agnes Arber (1912). The Early Naturalists; their Lives and Work, 
1530-1789 (1912). Plant Geography, by G. S. Boulger (1912). Makers 
of British Botany, by F. W. Oliver (1913). History of Botany in the 
United Kingdom, 1860-1900, by J. R. Green (1914). The Phylogenetic 
Taxonomy of Flowering Plants, by C. E. Bessey (in Annals of the Mis¬ 
souri Botanical Garden, vol. 2:109-164,—1915). Outlines of the His¬ 
tory of Botany, by R. J. Harvey Gibson (1919). Distribution of Vegeta¬ 
tion in the United States as related to Climatic Conditions, by B. E. 
Livingston and F. Shreve (Carnegie Institution Publications, no. 284,— 
(1921). Age and Area; a Study in Geographical Distribution and Origin 
of Species, by J. C. Willis (1922). 



Coffee Berry (Rhamnus californica 
Esch.). The bark is used as a sub¬ 
stitute for Cascara Sagrada; as a laxa¬ 
tive drug it has essentially the same 
principles. 



V 4 


GENERAL INDEX 


Abies 

28 

Abronia 

50 

Acacia, 

96, 95 

Whorl-leaf 

' 97 

Aceraceae 

74 

Acer 

74 

Achillea 

166 

Achyrachaena 

163 

Actaea 

31 

Adenostoma 

92 

Aesculus 

74 

Aethusa 

113 

Agave 

181 

Agoseris 

171 

Agropyron 

198 

Agrostis 

202 

Ailanthus 

69 

Aizoaceae 

51 

Alder 

70 

Alfalfa 

100, 95 

Alismaceae 

171 

Alisma 

172 

Alkali-heath 

53 

Alligator Pear 

36 

Allocarya 

133 

Allium 

177 

Almond 

93 

Alnus 

70 

Alum Root 

86 

Alyssum 

43 

Small 

43 

Sweet 

43 

Amaranthaceae 

47 

Amaranth 

47 

Family 

47 

Amaranthus 

47 

Amaryllidaceae 

181 

Amaryllis Fami 

ily 181 

Ambrosia 

164 

Amelanchier 

95 

Ammophila 

201 

Ampelopsis 

75 

Amsinckia 

134 

Anacardiaceae 

66 

Anagallis 

123 

Anaphalis 

169 

Anemone 

32 


Anemopsis 

59 

A net hum 

120 

Angelica 

120 

Anise 

120 

Anthemis 

165 

Apiastrum 

116 

Apium 

117 

Apocynaceae 

126 

Apocynum 

126 

Apple 

94 

Apricot 

94 

Aquilegia 

31 

Arabis 

42 

Arachis 

106 

Araliaceae 

112 

Aralia 

112 

Arbutus 

121 

Arbute Tree 

121 

Arctostaphylos 

121 

Arenaria 

46 

Aristolochiaceae 

60 

Aristolochia 

60 

Arnica 

167 

Coast 

167 

Arrow-head 

172 

Artemisia 

166 

Artichoke 

168 

Artocarpus 

61 

Arundo 

196 

Asarum 

60 

Asclepiadaceae 

126 

Asclepias 

126 

Ash 

125 

Mountain 

125 

Oregon 

125 

Asparagus 

181 

Aster 

159 

Common 

159 

Astragalus 

105 

Atriplex 

49 

Atropa 

140 

A vena 

201 

Avocado 

36 

Azalea, Western 

121 

Baby Blue Eyes 

131 

Baccharis 

159 

Baeria 

164 


Balsamea 109 

Bamboo 189 

Bambusa 189 

Baneberry 31 

Barbarea 42 

Barberry 35 

California 35 

Family 35 

Barley 199 

Cultivated 199 

Meadow 200 

Wild 199 

Bean 107, 95 

Lima 107 

Pole 107 

String 107 

Bear Brush 112 

Bedstraw 150 

Sweet-scented 151 

Beet 48 

Leaf 48 

Spinach 48 

Sugar 48 

Berberidaceae 35 

Berberis 35 

Beta 48 

Betulaceae 70 

Big Root 84 

Big Tree 29 

Bindweed 127 

Birch Family 70 

Birds’ Eyes 129 

Birthwort Family 60 
Bitter Root 53 

Blackberry, Cali¬ 
fornia 90 

Blackwood, Austra¬ 
lian 96 

Blazing Star 82 

Bleeding Heart 38 

Blow-wives 163 

Blue Blossom 77 

Blue Curls 135, 136 
Blue Dicks 176 

Blue-eyed Grass 182 

Blue Witch 140 

Borage Family 133 






Boraginaceae 

133 

Bowlesia 

116 

Bow-wood 

61 

Box Elder, Cal 

i- 

fornia 

74 

Brass Buttons 

166 

Brassica 

40 

Bread-fruit Tree 61 

Briza 

195 

Brodiaea 

175 

Golden 

176 

Harvest 

175 

Twining 

176 

White 

176 

Brome, Downy 

192 

Red 

192 

Bromus 

191 

Brooklime 

146 

Broom-rape 

149 

Family 

149 

Broussonetia 

61 

Brunella 

136 

Brussels Sprouts 41 

Buck Brush 

78 

Buckeye, California 74 

Buckwheat, Culti- 

vated 

56 

Wild 

59 

Buckthorn 

75 

Family 

75 

Weed 

134 

Bulrush 

185 

California 

186 

Panicled 

186 

Buttercup 

33 

Common 

33 

Family 

30 

Water 

34 

Butternut 

69 

Button-willow 

151 

Cabbage 

41 

Garden 

41 

Savoy 

41 

Calabazilla 

83 

Calandrinia 

51 

Calochortus 

178 

Caltrops 

63 

Family 

63 

Calvcanthaceae 

34 


GENERAL INDEX 


Calycanthus 34 

Calypso 207, 208 

Calyptridium 51 

Campion 45 

Camass 174 

Camassia 174 

Canaigre 57 

Canchalagua 126 

Cannabaceae 62 

Cannabis 62 

Cantaloupe 83 

Caprifoliaceae 151 

Capsella 44 

Capsicum 140 

Caraway 117 

Cardamine 42 

Carex 186 

Carpet Weed Fam¬ 
ily 51‘ 

Carrot 116 

Carum 117 

Carya 69 

Caryophyllaceae 44 
Cascara Sagrada 76 
Castanopsis 73 

Castilleia 147 

Castor Bear! 66 

Catch-Fly 45 

Cat’s Ear, Smooth 169 
Cat-tail 172 

Family 172 

Cauliflower 41 

Ceanothus 76 

Cedar, Incense 29 

Celery, Common 117 
Centaurea 169 

Centaurium 126 

Century Plant 181 

Cephalanthus 151 

Cerastium ' 45 

Cercis 97 

Cercocarpus 92 

Chalk-lettuce 85 

Chamise 93 

Chamomile 165 

Chaparral Broom 159 
Chard 48 

Charlock 41 

Cheat 193, 198 



215 

Soft 

192 

Checker-bloom 

79 

Chenopodiaceae 

48 

Chenopodium 

48 

Cherry, Common 

93 

Bitter 

93 

Choke 

94 

Chess 

193 

Chia 

138 

Chickweed 

46 

Common 

46 

Field 

46 

Mouse-ear 45. 

, 46 

Slender 

46 

China Tree 

69 

Chinese Houses 

143 

Chinquapin 

73 

Bush 

73 

Giant 

73 

Golden 

78 

Chlorogalum 

175 

Chorizanthe 

58 

Christmas Berry 

94 

Cinchona 

150 

Cicuta 117, 

113 

Cirsium 

167 

Cistaceae 

80 

Citron 

68 

Citrullus 

83 

Citrus 

68 

Clarkia 

109 

Cleavers 

150 

Clotbur, Spiny 

164 

Clover 

101 

Alsike 

102 

Bur 

101 

Cow 

103 

Jaybird 

102 

Musk 

64 

Pin-point 

102 

Red 102 

, 95 

Sour 

103 

Spanish 

104 

Sweet 

101 

White 102 

, 95 

White-tip 

103 

Club-rush 

185 

Cneoridium 

68 

Cocklebur 

164 




GENERAL INDEX 


216 


Coffea 150 

Coffee 150 

Coffee Berry 76 

Collinsia 143 

Collomia 128 

Columbine 31 

Compositae 154 

Conium 116, 113 

Convolvulaceae 127 

Convolvulus 127 

Coral-root 208 

Corallorrhiza 208 

Coreopsis 161 

Coriander 116 

Coriandrum 116 

Cornaceae 111 

Corn, Broom 206 

Egyptian 206 

.Indian 206 

Kafir 206 

Cornel 111 

Cornus 111 

Corylaceae 71 

Corylus 71 

Cottonwood, Black 55 
Common 55 

Cotton, Common 79 
Egyptian 80 

Sea-island 80 

Upland 80 

Cotula 166 

Cotyledon 85 

Coyote Brush 159 

Coyote-Thistle 114 

Cranesbill 64 

Crassulaceae 84 

Cream Bush 89 

Cream Cups 37 

Cream Sacs 148 

Cress, Bitter 42 

Rock 42 

Water 43 

Western Yellow 43 
Winter 42 

Croton 66 

Crowfoot 33 

Cruciferae 39 

Cucumber 84 

Cucurbita 82 


Cucurbitaceae 

82 

C'ucumis 

83 

Cudweed 

160 

Lowland 

160 

Purple 

160 

Cupressaceae 

29 

Cupressus 

29 

Currant, Flowering 

87 

Stink 

87 

Cydonia 

95 

Cynara 

168 

Cynodon 

203 

Cynoglossum 

134 

Cyperaceae 

184 

Cyperus 

184 

Cypress 

29 

Family 

29 

Monterey 

29 

Cypripedium 

207 

Dalbergia 

95 

Darnel 

198 

Datura 141, 

140 

Daucus 

115 

Death Camas 

174 

Deer-brush 

77 

Deer-weed 

104 

Delphinium 

31 

Dentaria 

42 

Desert Savior 

85 

Dicentra 

38 

Dill 

120 

Diospyros 

125 

Diplacus 

144 

Dipsaceae 

153 

Dipsacus 

153 

Disporum 

181 

Distichlis 

196 

Dock, Curly 

57 

Green 

57 

Fiddle 

57 

Willow 

57 

Dodecatheon 

123 

Dogwood 

111 

Creek 

112 

Family 

111 

Mountain 

112 

Downingia 

153 

Dune-Heath 

158 

Durra 

206 


Dutchman’s Pipe 60 
Ebenaceae 124 

Ebony Family 124 

Echinochloa 205 

Echinocystis 84 

Egg-plant 141 

Elder 151 

Elderberry, Blue 151 
Red 152 

Elk-clover 112 

Ellisia 132 

Elm 60 

Cork 60 

Family 60 

Elymus 200 

Emmenanthe 133 

Epilobium 109 

Epipactis 208 

Eragrostis 195 

Eremocarpus 65 

Ericaceae 120 

Ericameria 158 

Erigeron 159 

Eriodictyon 133 

Eriogonum 58 

Eriophyllum 165 

Erodium 64 

Eryngium 114 

Erysimum 42 

Eschscholtizia 38 

Escobita 148 

Esparto 189 

Eucalyptus 108 

Euphorbia 66 

Euphorbiaceae 65 

Evening Primrose 

Family 108 

Evening Snow 130 

Everlasting 160 

California 160 

Pearly 160 

Pink 160 

White 160 

Fagaceae 71 

Fagopyrum 56 

Fairy Bells 181 

Fairy Lantern 181 

Fat-Hen 49 

Fat Solomon 181 




Fennel, Hog 118 

Sweet 118 

Fescue 194 

California 194 

Rat’s-tail 194 

Festuca 194 

Ficus 62, 61 

Fiddle-neck 132 

Fig 62 

Mission 62 

Smyrna 62 

Fig Marigold 51 

Figwort 143 

Family 142 

Filaree, Red-stem 64 
White-stem 64 

Fir 28 

Douglas 28 

Red 28 

White 28 

Fire-weed 109 

Five Finger 91 

Flag 182 

Fleabane 159 

Floerkea 64 

Foeniculum 118 

Footsteps-of-spring 114 
Four-o-clock 50 

Family 50 

Foxtail, Farmer’s 199 
Fragaria 91 

Frankenia 53 

Frankeniaceae 53 

Fraxinus 125 

Fringe-cups 86 

Fringe-pod 44 

Fritillaria 179 

Fritillary, Scarlet 180 
White 179 

Frying Pans 38 

Fumariaceae 38 

Fumitory Family 38 

Galingale 184 

Galium 150 

Galleta 189 

Garlic, Garden 177 

Gamble Weed 114 

Garrya 112 

Garryaceae 112 


GENERAL INDEX 


Gaultheria 122 

Gentianaceae 125 

Gentian Family 125 
Geraniaceae 63 

Geranium 64 

Carolina 64 

Family 63 

Gilia 129 

Family 128 

Scarlet 129 

Ginger, Wild 60 

Ginseng Family 112 
Glasswort 50 

Globe Tulip, White 178 
Gnaphalium 160 

Godetia 109 

Golden Ear-drops 38 

Golden Eggs 111 

Golden-eyed Grass 182 
Golden Fleece 158 

Golden Lantern 178 

Golden Rod 158 

Common 158 

Western 158 

Golden-top 197 

Gold Fields 164 

Gold-wire 80 

Goober 106 

Gooseberry, Canon 88 
Hillside 88 

Straggly 87 

Goosefoot 48 

Family 48 

Nettle-leaf 49 

White 49 

Goose-grass 151 

Gossypium 79 

Gourd 82 

Famliy 82 

Gramineae 186 

Grape 74 

California Wild 75 
Common 75 

Grapefruit 68 

Grass, Beach 202 

Beard 203 

Bent 202 

Bermuda 204 

Blue 194 


217 


Kentucky 195 

Malpais 195 

Brome 191 

California 193 

Canary, Gnawed 204 
Devil 204 

Family 186 

Tohnson 206 

Orchard 197 

Panic 205 

Porcupine 202 

Quaking 195 

Ripgut, • 192 

Rye 197 

Australian 198 

English 198 

Giant 200 

Italian 198 

Perennial 198 

Western 200 

Salt 196 

Sleepy 189 

Snake 196 

Spear 202 

Stink 196 

Sudan 206 

Water 205 

Wheat 198 

Slender 198 

Grass Nut 176 

Grindelia 157 

White-stem 158 

Groundsel 167 

Common 167 

Gum Arabic 95 

Gum, Blue 108 

Red 108 

Gum Plant 157 

Gum-tree 108 

Habenaria 208 

Haematoxylon 95 

Hazelnut 71 

Hazel Family 71 

Heartsease, Western 81 
Heath Family 120 

Hedera 113 

Helenium 165 

Helianthemum 80 

Helianthus 161 




218 


GENERAL INDEX 


Hemlock, Poison 

116. 113 
Water 117, 113 
Western 117 

Hemp 62 

Common 62 

Family 62 

Indian 126 

Common 126 

Mountain 126 

Henbane 140 

Heracleum 118 

Heteromeles 94 

Heterotheca 158 

Heuchera 86 

Hickory 69 

Hilaria 189 

FIolcus 206 

Holodiscus 89 

Honeysuckle 152 

California 152 

Chaparral 152 

Family 151 

Hop 62 

Common 63 

T ree 68 

Hordeum 199 

Horehound, Com¬ 
mon 136 

Horse Chestnut 74 

Horseweed 159 

Hound's Tongue, 

Western 134 

Huckleberry, Cali- - 
fornia 122 

Humulus 62 

Hvdrophyllaceae 131 

Hyoscyamus 140 

Hypericaceae 80 

Hypericum 80 

Hypochaeris 169 

Ice Plant 51 

India Rubber Tree 61 
Indian Lettuce 52 

Indian Paint Brush 147 
Indian Warrior 149 

Indigofera 95 

Indigo 95 

Inside-out-flower 35 


Ipecac 

150 

Ipomaea 

128 

Iridaceae 

181 

Iris 

182 

Coast 

182 

Family 

181 

Ground 

182 

Mountain 

182 

Islay 

94 

Iva 

163 

Ivy 

113 

Boston 

75 

English 

113 

Japanese 

75 

Jack-brush 

77 

Jamestown Weed 

140 

Jerusalem Oak 

49 

Jewel Flower 

40 

Jim-brush 

77 

Johnny-nip 

148 

Johnny-tuck 

148 

Judas Tree 

97 

Juglandaceae 

69 

Juglans 

69 

Juncaceae 

182 

Juncus 

183 

June Berry 

95 

Juniper 

29 

California 

29 

Sierra 

29 

Juniperus 

29 

Kale 

41 

Kangaroo Thorn 

96 

Kisses 

52 

Knotweed 

55 

Common 

56 

Kohlrabi 

41 

Labiatae 

135 

Labrador Tea 

120 

Lactuca 

171 

Lady’s Slipper 

207 

Lamarckia 

197 

Lambs’ Quarters 

49 

Larkspur 

31 

Red 

32 

Royal 

32 

Scarlet 

32 

Western 

32 

Lasthenia 

164 


Lathyrus 107 

Lauraceae 35 

Laurel, California 36 
Family 35 

Lavatera 78 

Layia 163 

Leather Root 104 

Ledum 120 

Leguminosae 95 

Lemon 68 

Lemonade-berry 67 
Lepidium 44 

Lettuce 171 

Garden 171 

Prickly 171 

Lewisia 53 

Libocedrus 29 

Lilac, Mountain 76 
Parry 77 

Liliaceae 173 

Lilium 180 

Lily 180 

Checker 180 

Family 173 

Snake 176 

Tiger 180 

Lime 68 

Limnanthaceae 64 

Limoni um 124 

Linanthus 130 

Lithocarpus 73 

Live-for-ever 85 

Lizard Tail 165 

Lizard Tail Family 59 
Loasaceae 82 

Loasa Family 82 

Lobeliaceae 153 

Lobelia Family 153 

Loco-weed 105 

Sheep 106 

Locust 105 

Common 105 

Logwood 95 

Lolium 197 

Lonicera 152 

Lotus 103 

Hill 104 

Lousewort 149 

Lupinus 97 




GENERAL INDEX 


219 


Lycopersicum 141, 140 
Maclura 61 

Madder Family 150 

Madia 162 

Common 162 

Madrono, 121 

Maguey 181 

Mahogany, Desert 92 
Mountain 92 

Maize 206 

Milo 206 

Malacothrix 170 

Mallow 78 

Bull 79 

Dwarf 79 

False 79 

Family 78 

Tree 78 

Malva 78 

Malvaceae 78 

Malvastrum 79 

Man-root, Common 84 
Hill 84 

Manzanita 121 

Eastwood 122 

Fire . 122 

Great-berried 122 

Parry 122 

White-leaf 122 

Maple 74 

Big-leaf 74 

Family 74 

Mariposa, Lilac 179 

Weed’s 179 

White 179 

Yellow 179 

Marrubium 136 

Marsh Rosemary 124 

Meadow-foam 64 

Family 64 

Meadow Rue 32 

Medicago 100, 95 

Medick 100 

Melia 69 

Meliaceae 69 

Melica 197 

Melilot, White 101 

Yellow 101 

Melilotus 101 


Melon 

83 

Musk 

83 

Nutmeg 

83 

Winter 

83 

Mentha 

139 

Mentzelia 

82 

Mesembryanthemum 51 

Mexican Tea 

49 

Micromeria 

138 

Milkweed 

126 

Creek 

127 

Family 

126 

Narrow-leaf 

127 

Purple 

127 

Milkwort 

65 

Mimulus 

145 

Tobacco 

145 

Miner’s Lettuce 

52 

Mint 

139 

Family 

135 

Tule 

139 

Mirabilis 

50 

Mission Bells 

179 

Mock Orange 

83 

Monardella 

139 

Monkey-flower 

145 

Bush, 

145 

Monolopia 

165 

Montia 

52 

Moraceae 

61 

Morning Glory 

128 

Family 

127 

Orchard 

128 

Moronel 

152 

Morus 

61 

Mosquito Bills 

124 

Mountain Grape 

35 

Mugwort, Cali¬ 
fornia 

165 

Muilla 

177 

Mulberry 

61 

Black 

61 

Family 

61 

Paper 

61 

Mule Ears 

161 

Mule Fat 

159 

Musk Clover 

64 

Mustard 

40 

Black 

41 


Common Yellow 41 


Family 39 

Hedge 40 

Tansy 40 

Tower 42 

Myrica 70 

Myricaceae 70 

Myrtaceae 108 

Myrtle Family 108 

Neck weed 146 

Nemophila 131 

Climbing 131 

Small-Flowered 132 
Nerium 126 

Nettle 61 

Creek 61 

Family 61 

Hedge 136 

Small 61 

Nicotiana 141, 140 
Nigger-babies 182 

Nightshade 140 

Black 140 

Family 139 

Nine Bark 89 

Nut-grass 184 

Nutmeg, California 30 
Nyctaginaceae 50 

Oak 71 

Blue 72 

California Black 73 
Coast Live 72 

Family 71 

Interior Live 73 

Maul 72 

Oregon 72 

Scrub 72 

Tan 73 

Valley 72 

Oat ' 201 

Cultivated 201 

Wild 201 

Oenothera 110 

Old Man 166 

Olea 125 

Oleaceae 125 

Oleander 126 

Olive 125 

Onagraceae 108 





220 


Onion 

177 

Common 

177 

Ookow 

Orange, Common 
or Sweet 

176 

68 

Orchidaceae 

206 

Orchid Family 

206 

Orchis, Rein 

208 

Stream 

208 

Oregon Grape 

35 

Orobanchaceae 

149 

Orobanche 

149 

Orthocarpus 

147 

Oryza 

205 

Osage Orange 

62 

Osmaronia 

93 

Osmorrhiza 

115 

Owl’s Clover 147, 

149 

Oxalidaceae 

63 

Oxalis 

63 

Family 

63 

Ox-tongue, Bristly 

169 

Paeonia 

31 

Painted Cup 

147 

Seaside 

147 

Woolly 

147 

Palm, Canary 

173 

Date 

173 

Family 

172 

Fan 

173 

California 

173 

Palmaceae 

172 

Panicum 

205 

Pansy, Yellow 

81 

Papaveraceae 

36 

Parsley 

117 

Family 

Fool’s 

113 

113 

Parsnip, Bladder 

119 

Common 

120 

Cow 

118 

Pestle 

119 

Pastinaca 

119 

Pea 107 

, 95 

Chaparral 

97 

Family 

95 

Peach 

93 

Peanut 

106 

Pear 

94 


GENERAL INDEX 


Pecan 

69 

Pedicularis 

149 

Peony 

31 

Pepper, Chile 

140 

Pepper-grass 

44 

Wayside 

44 

Peppermint 

139 

Pepper-tree 

67 

Persea 

36 

Persicaria, Water 56 

Persimmon, Com- 

mon 

125 

Japanese 

125 

Penstemon 

144 

Phacelia 

132 

Family 

131 

Rock 

133 

Stinging 

133 

Phalaris 

204 

Phaseolus 

107, 95 

Phleum 

202 

Phoenix 

173 

Physalis 

140 

Physocarpus 

89 

Picea 

27 

Pickeringia 

97 

Pickle-weed 

50 

Picris 

169 

Pi z -weed 

48, 49 

Rough 

47 

Pimpernel 

123 

Pinaceae 

26 

Pine 

26 

Beach 

27 

Big-cone 

27 

Bishop 

27 

Knob-cone 

27 

Monterey 

27 

Silver 

26 

Sugar 

27 

Yellow 

27 

Pink, Family 

44 

Indian 

45 

Windmill 

45 

Pinus 

26 

Pipe-stem 

34 

Pipe Vine 

60 

Pisuin 

107, 95 

Plagiobothrys 

134 


Plane, Family 88 

Oriental 88 

Tree 88 

Plantaginaceae 149 

Plantago 149 

Plantain 149 

Common 150 

English 150 

Family 149 

Platanaceae 88 

Platanus 88 

Platystemon 36 

PAunbaginaceae 124 

Plum, Common 94 

Sierra 94 

Poa 194 

Pogogyne 138 

Poison Oak 67 

Polemoniaceae 128 

Polygala 65 

Polygalaceae 65 

Polygonaceae 55 

Polygonum 55 

Polyp ogon 203 

Pomelo 68 

Pomegranate 108 

Fafhily 107 

Poor Man’s 

Weather Glass 123 
Poppy 37 

Bush 37 

California 38 

Family 36 

Prickly 37 

W estern 37 

Wind 38 

Poplar 54 

Populus 54 

Portulaca 53 

Portulacaceae 51 

Potato 141, 140 

Sweet 128 

Potentilla 91 

Poverty Weed 163 

Pride of India 69 

Primrose Family 123 

Primulaceae 123 

Prunus 93 

Pseudotsuga 28 




GENERAL INDEX 


221 


Psoralea 

104 

Ptelea 

68 

Pterostegia 

57 

Pumpkin 

83 

Puncture Weed 

63 

Punica 

107 

Punicaceae 

107 

Purslane, Common 

53 

Family 

51 

Pussy Ears 

178 

Pussy Paws 

51 

Pyrus 

.94 

Quassia, Family 

69 

Quercus 

71 

Quince 

95 

Quinine 

150 

Quixote Plant 

180 

Radicula 

43 

Radish 

4' 

Horse 

43 

Ragweed 

164 

Western 

164 

Ranunculaceae 

30 

Ranunculus 

33 

Raphanus 

40 

Raspberry, Western 90 

Rattle-weed 

105 

Rattlesnake Weed 

116 

Red-berry 

76 

Red-bud 

97 

Red Maids 

52 

Red Ribbons 

109 

Redtop 

202 

Redwood 

28 

Family 

28 

Reed, Common 

196 

Giant 

196 

Rhamnaceae 

75 

Rhamnus 

75 

Rheum 

57 

Rhododendron 

121 

Rhubarb, Garden 

57 

Ribes 

87 

Ribwort 

150 

Ricinus 

66 

Rice 

205 

Robinia 

105 

Rock-lettuce 

85 

Rock-rose Family 

80 


Romero 

135 

Rosaceae 

88 

Rosa 

92 

Rose 

92 

California Wild 

92 

Family 

88 

Wood 

92 

Rose Bay 

Rosewood, East In¬ 

121 

dian 

95 

Rosilla 

165 

Rubiaceae 

150 

Rubus 

90 

Rue Family 

68 

Rumex 

56 

Rush 

183 

Bog 

183 

Common 

183 

Family 

182 

Toad 

184 

Wire 

183 

Rush-rose 

80 

Russian Thistle 

50 

Rutabaga 

41 

Rutaceae 

68 

Rye 

199 

Wild 

200 

Saccharum 

189 

Sage 

137 

Black 

138 

Crimson 

138 

Pitcher 

139 

Thistle 

137 

White 

138 

Sage-Brush 

166 

Sagittaria 

172 

Sailor’s Caps 

St. John’s Wort 

124 

80 

Family 

80 

Salal 

122 

Salicaceae 

53 

Salicornia 

50 

Salix 

53 

Salmon-berry 

90 

Salsify 

170 

Salsola 

50 

Saltbush 

49 

Australian 

50 

Salvia 

137 


Sambucus 151 

Samphire 50 

Sandwort 46 

Sand-verbena, 

Purple 50 

Yellow 50 

Sanicle, Coast 115 

Poison 115 

Purple 115 

Sanicula 114 

Sapindaceae 74 

Saururaceae 59 

Saxifragaceae 85 

Saxifraga 86 

Saxifrage 86 

Family 85 

Scandix 115 

Scare-weed 137 

Scarlet Bugler 144 

Scarlet Cup 147 

Schinus 67 

Scrophularia 143 

Scrophulariaceae 142 

Scutellaria 136 

Sea Fig 51 

Sea-pink 124 

Secale 199 

Sedge 186 

Family 184 

Sedum 85 

Self-Heal 136 

Senecio 167 

Creek 167 

Sequoia 28 

Service Berry 95 

Shaddock 68 

Shepherd’s Needle 115 
Sheperd’s Purse 44 

Shooting Star 124 

Sidalcea 79 

Silk Tassel Bush 112 

Family 112 

Silver Weed 91 

Silybum 168 

Simarubaceae 69 

Sisymbrium 40 

Sisyrinchium 182 

Sitanion 200 

Skull-cap 136 




222 


GENERAL INDEX 


Blue 

136 

Skunkweed 

130 

Smartweed, Dotted 

56 

Smilacina 

180 

Snake’s Head 

170 

Snakeroot 

114 

Button 

114 

Sneezeweed 

165 

Snow Berry 

152 

Snow-flower 

134 

Soap Plant 49, 175 

Solanaceae 

139 

Solanum 

140 

Solidago 

Solomon’s Seal, 

158 

False 

180 

Sonchus 

170 

Sorghum 

206 

Field 

206 

Sugar 

206 

Sorrel, Redwood 

63 

Sheep 

57 

Wood 

63 

Yellow 

63 

Sowbane 

49 

Sow-Thistle 

170 

Common 

170 

Prickly 

171 

Spanish Bayonet 

180 

Spartina 

204 

Spearmint 

139 

Spear Orache 

49 

Spearwort 

33 

Speedwell 

146 

Spergula 

47 

Spergularia 

46 

Sphacele 

139 

Spikenard 
Spikeweed, Com¬ 

112 

mon 

163 

Spruce 

27 

Big-cone 

28 

Douglas 

28 

Sitka 

27 

Tideland 

27 

Spurge 

66 

Family 

65 

Thyme-leaf 

66 

Spurrey 

47 


Corn 47 

Sand 46 

Squash 83 

Squaw Bush 67 

Squaw Root 117 

Stachys 136 

Star-flower 123, 180 
Star of Bethlehem 86 
Statice 124 

Stellaria 46 

Stephanomeria 170 

Stipa 202, 189 

Stone-crop 85 

Family 84 

Storksbill 64 

Stramonium 141 

Strawberry 91 

Sand 91 

Wood 91 

Streotanthus 39 

Sugar-bush 67 

Sugar Cane 189 

Sulphur Flower 59 

Sumac 67 

Family 66 

Laurel 67 

Summer’s Darling 110 
Sunflower 161 

California 161 

Common 161 

Family 154 

Sweet Cicely 115 

Sweet-Gale Family 70 
Sweet-shrub 34 

Family 34 

Sycamore, Western 88 
Symphoricarpos 152 

Tare 106 

Tar weed 162 

Chile 162 

Coast 162 

Hayfield 162 

Taxaceae 30 

Taxus 30 

Taxodiaceae 28 

Teasle Family 153 

Fuller’s 153 

Telegraph Weed 158 

Tellima 86 


Thalictrum 

32 

Thamnosma 

68 

Thelypodium 

40 

Thimble-berry 

90 

Thistle 

167 

Bull 

168 

Indian 

168 

Milk 

168 

Napa 

169 

Star 

169 

Purple 

169 

Yellow 

169 

Thorn-apple 

141 

Three Square 

186 

Thrift 

124 

Family 

124 

Thysanocarpus 

44 

Tidy Tips 

163 

Tillaea 

84 

Timothy 

202 

Tobacco 141, 

140 

Common 

142 

Indian 

142 

Tree 

142 

Tolguacha 

141 

Tomato 141, 

140 

Tongue-Grass 

44 

Toothwort 

42 

Torreya 

30 

T ragopogon 

170 

Tree of Heaven 

69 

Tribulus 

63 

Trichostema 

135 

Trientalis 

123 

Trifolium 101, 95 

Trillium 

180 

Coast 

180 

Common 

180 

T riticum 

198 

Tide, Bull 

186 

Common 

185 

Tide Potato 

172 

Tumble-weed 

48 

Turkey Mullein 

65 

Turkey Pea 

115 

Turk’s Rug 

58 

Turnip 

41 

Turpentine Broom 

68 

Twin-berry, Black 

152 






Typhaceae 

172 

Typha 

172 

Ulmaceae 

60 

Ulmus 

60 

Umbelliferae 

113 

Umbellularia 

36 

Umbrella Tree, 


Texas 

69 

Uragoga 

150 

Urtica 

61 

Urticaceae 

61 

Vaccinium 

122 

Vancouveria 

35 

V elaea 

117 

Veronica 

146 

Vervenia 

132 

V etch 

106, 95 

California 

107 

Common 

106 

Giant 

107 

Vicia 

106, 95 

Vine, Common 


Grape 

75 

Family 

74 

Vinegar Weed 

136 

Violaceae 

80 

Viola 

80 

Violet 

80 

Dog 

82 

Family 

80 

Mountain 

81 


GENERAL INDEX 


Pine 81 

Wood 81 

Virginia Creeper 75 

Virgin’s Bower 34 

Vitaceae 74 

Vitis 74 

Wake Robin 180 

Wall-flower 42 

Coast 42 

Western 42 

Walnut 69 

California Black 70 
Southern 70 

English 70 

Family 69 

Washingtonia 173 

Watermelon 83 

Water Plantain 172 

Family 171 

Wattle, Black 97 

Green 97 

Silver 97 

Wax-berry 152 

Wax Myrtle 70 

Wheat 198 

Whispering Bells 133 

Whipplea 86 

White-thorn 77 

Willow 53 

Arroyo 54 

Black 54 



223 

Family 

53 

Longleaf 

54 

Nuttall 

54 

Red 

54 

Sandbar 

54 

Velvet 

54 

Yellow 

54 

Willow Herb 

109 

Wind-Flower 

32 

Winter Cherry 

140 

Wishbone Bush 

51 

W ormseed 

49 

Wyethia 

160 

Xanthium 

164 

Yard Grass 

56 

Yarrow 

166 

Common 

166 

Yerba Buena 

138 

Yerba Mansa 

60 

Yerba Santa 

133 

Yew 

30 

Stinking 

30 

Western 

30 

Y ucca 

180 

Zauschneria 

108 

Zea 

206 

Zygadene 

174 

Star 

174 

Zygadenus 

174 

Zygophyllaceae 

63 




ASSOCIATED STUDENTS STORE 

University of California 
Berkeley, California 
Publishers of Botanical Books 
by 

Dr. W. L. Jepson 


Manual of the Flowering Plants of California. A complete ac¬ 
count of the native seed-plants of California in one compact volume for 
field use. About 1100 pages; illustrated with about 1000 drawings. Bound 
in Holliston buckram; title in gold on back and Calochortus design in 
gold on side. 

Trees Of California. 240 pages; illustrated with 124 drawings. 
Bound in Holliston buckram with title in gold on back and side and design 
of Jeffrey Pine in Kern Canon on side; second completely revised edition, 
now ready. $3.50. 

A Flora of the Economic Plants of California, for Agricultural 
Students, including the important crop plants, agricultural weeds, poison¬ 
ous plants, honey plants, chaparral shrubs, native timber trees, and the 
most common native plants of the spring flowering.$2.00 

A Flora of California. Royal 8vo. Illustrated with line drawings 
and full page half-tones. To be completed in two volumes. The follow¬ 
ing parts of Vol. I. are ready: 

Part 1. Pinaceae to Taxaceae.$ .90 

Part 2. Salicaceae to Urticaceae....$ .80 

Part 3. Gnetaceae to Cyperaceae (Cyperus).$1.50 

Part 4. Platanaceae to Portulacaceae (Calyptridium).$1.00 

Part 5. Portulacaceae to Caryophyllaceae.;.$ .80 

Part 6. Cyperaceae (Eleocharis) to Orchidaceae.$2.50 

Part 7. Ranunculaceae (Trautvetteria) to Fumariaceae.$2.00 

Erythea. A Journal of Botany, West American and General. Vols. 1 
to 7. Vol. 8, nos. 1-12 (Monograph of the Genus Carex in California; by 
K. K. Mackenzie. Illustrated with 53 drawings)...$2.50 



Clarkia rhomboi- 
dea Dougl. A na¬ 
tive ornamental an¬ 
nual which has been 
cultivated for nearly 
a century. See 
p. 109. 







































































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